Non Est Ei Similis
by Toomi
Summary: Sam and Pete got married. Starts out SP with eventual SJ. AU fic. Spoilers for Threads and early season 9. Rated T
1. Chapter 1

_AN: Another story floating around my head and I needed to get it down before I finish the other one. I'm not a fan of the Sam/Pete thing they had going for a while, but this story does start off with them together. This starts during Threads but is definatly an AU fic. Enjoy..._

Jack cursed as he reached the observing room next to the infirmary. He was too late.

When Kerry had left his office, she'd given him something to think about. Not that he'd never thought of it before. He knew his feelings for Carter were still there, pushed deep within. He hadn't realised they'd come to the surface recently. Sam showing up at his house unexpectedly had thrown him off balance, so he'd assumed he'd let his guard down then.

He had received a phone call just after she left his office stating that Jacob didn't have much time. He'd dashed down to the infirmary to be there for Sam when Jacob did pass. Now he stood in the doorway, unnoticed, as Pete held Sam close. He left as silently as he could and meandered back to his office. He had known about Carter and Pete for months, knew she had said yes to him, but held himself back from saying anything to her. Seeing them together, her holding someone else, tore at him in ways that nothing else could. He sat down hard in his chair and buried himself in paperwork.

Several hours later, Carter knocked on his door. She requested some time off to bury her father and he granted two weeks immediately, taking note of her pale face and blue eyes, bright with unshed tears. He yearned to take her in his arms and comfort her, but the knowledge of Pete in her life, prevented him. He wanted her to be happy, and if Pete was the path she had to take, he wasn't going to stand in the way. He let her go.

* * *

Sam could barely believe how the past two weeks had flown by. It had been a roller coaster of emotions, with Daniel returning, and the funeral for her father. She had seen Mark and his kids for the first time in a while and he had expressed his joy in her acceptance of Pete's proposal. Pete had been her rock throughout her rough week. He had held her when she cried, made her laugh, and stayed away from discussions of their wedding. General O'Neill had spoken at the funeral at her request and he had told her it was a pleasure to speak about a man whom he respected and valued in his life. Since then, she hadn't seen or heard from him. Daniel and Teal'c had stopped by her house and stayed for supper one night, but other than that and the funeral, she had not had any contact with the SGC. She had moved into their new house a few days after the funeral and there were boxes everywhere. The house was gorgeous and had much more space than her current one. Pete's transfer to the Colorado Springs PD had finally been approved, and he would be moving in today. That meant no more Pete driving up from Denver on his days off, and less overtime for her at work. Her thoughts drifted to her future as she sat on the bench surrounded by the flowers the previous owner had planted. The house had many bedrooms and she wanted to have children to fill them. Hear their laughter, wipe their tears away, comfort their sorrows.

* * *

Pete arrived at their new house to find his fiance sitting in front of it, a dreamy look on her face. He walked up the sidewalk and thrust a bouquet of flowers into her lap. She looked up in surprise and smiled. He bent down to kiss her, and asked what she was thinking about. He smiled when she responded with the future. He couldn't wait for their future together. He had been worried when she took two weeks to say yes. He couldn't understand why she needed to think that long. Had she been waiting for someone else? He had his suspicions who, but dared not to voice them, fearing he would find them true. When she had said yes, he had still been unsure as to the sincerity, and the reason why she had agreed. When she called him from work to tell him about her father, he knew that he was a part of her life. He had gone as fast as he could to get to her, hold her, and show he would be there for her, forever.

* * *

The original wedding day was kept, despite Pete's offers to postpone it after her fathers death. She wanted to keep the date, fearing if she didn't, something would happen to cancel it. The day was beautiful, and the ceremony had gone off without any problems. Half of the SGC had filled the church, and lavished her with gifts at the reception. She had noticed General O'Neill the second he had entered the delicately decorated hall. He looked amazing in his dress blues and she never failed to blush at the sight. Today had been no different, but fortunately no one had noticed. She had accepted his congratulations, and watched as he walked away to sit with Daniel and Teal'c. They all given moving speeches, bringing her close to tears. The Generals had been humorous, yet she could sense the sadness in his voice. She forced herself to forget it, reminding herself she was married to Pete. There was nothing left between them, besides a friendship, and the working relationship.

* * *

Jack had arrived home, changed immediately, turned on the TV, and started on a six pack. He had to admit the wedding had been perfect and he was envious of Pete. If only he had let Carter know how he felt when she had shown him the ring. The replicators gone, the goa'uld defeated, he could retire now. Had he known that then, he would've said something, anything, to keep her. The reality was, he had no way of predicting the future, and would've risked everything, including her career. Above all, he wanted Carter to be happy. She was now, but not with him. There was nothing he could do to change that.

_AN: Let me know if you want to continue._


	2. Chapter 2

_Three years later_

Samantha Shannahan looked critically around the spacious living room for anything that wasn't perfectly placed or clean. She wanted to surprise her husband on their third wedding anniversary, and he was due home anytime now. The phone rang shrilly, piercing her thoughts.

"Hello."

"Hi honey. I'm going to be a little late. Got caught up in some work."

"Ok. See you soon."

"Love you. Bye."

She hung up, disappointed. Now the roast would be a little overcooked. Rationalizing with herself, she knew that his job took more time on some days. He had a whole department under him and she remembered how it had been for her. She couldn't leave if there was something that required her immediate attention, but no more. She had left that life after she had married.

They had stayed in Colorado Springs for six months after the wedding. Without her knowledge, Pete had applied for a job in Trenton, New Jersey. He told her when he received the job offer that he had just been looking to see what was out there. She had seen the hope and want in his eyes, and allowed herself to imagine a life away from the SGC. It had taken several weeks, but eventually he took the job, with her blessing. She had handed in her resignation to General O'Neill and he had accepted it without convincing her to stay. That had showed how much their friendship had changed. First he had backed off, not showing up at her house unexpectedly, then the phone calls dropped off. She thought he was giving her some space to be with her new husband, and relished in the opportunity to forge her new life. Then he stopped visiting her in her lab, unless he needed something. It had become strictly professional. If she needed to ask him something, she found him in Daniel's office, the gym with Teal'c or his office, where he now spent most of his time. The personnel at the base had quit making jokes about his hatred of paperwork, as he had jumped in and tackled every piece of paper that crossed his desk. Eventually she only saw him at briefings, beginning and end of missions, and in the commissary. He rarely said more than a quick hello before scuttling off. Daniel and Teal'c had been upset at the thought of her leaving, but had convinced the General to have a going away party at his house. It had been a huge affair, with all personnel not needed at the base there, with their families. It had been held on her last night in Colorado Springs and they had left early, along with those families with children. She felt unbidden tears begin to form as she remembered the hugs of goodbye and well wishes from her friends and co workers.

Pete had settled into his new job easily and thrived on the responsiblilty. She had taken a teaching job at Princeton, and while not as thrilling as working at the SGC, she was content. This way she could start a family without the worry of her dying at the end of a staff weapon, and leaving Pete and children behind. Daniel had kept in contact with her. Phone calls and emails at first, but eventually it diminished to an email or two per month and she hadn't gone back to Colorado Springs since she had left. Cassie had made frequent trips, and had her own room for such occasions. She had received several letters from Teal'c but nothing from the General. It was only times when she was alone, with nothing else immediately occupying her mind, that she allowed these thoughts to enter. She shook off the memories, and checked on the roast. She grinned as she remembered the surprise on his face as she presented him with a new suit that morning. He had mentioned getting a new one that he had seen at the mall, and she had promptly run out and bought it. He had worn it that morning to work. That was only part of her gift. There was something else to give him, something she knew would mean more to him than anything else.

Pete arrived home an hour after he had called. He walked in the door, removed his shoes, placed his keys on the hook by the door and turned to greet his wife. She stood in front of him with confusion written clearly on her face.

"Hi honey. Sorry I'm late."

She bent towards him to accept his kiss and pulled back.

"What happened to the shirt you were wearing this morning?"

"Oh, er. One of the guys tripped over a wire and dumped his coffee on me. Must've left the shirt at work. Don't worry honey, I soaked it right away. It'll be as good as new."

Sam smiled as he folded his arms around her.

"Did I tell you yet today that I love you?"

"Yes Pete. Now go change. Dinner's ready."

Pete took the stairs two at a time as he could smell the roast cooking. He changed and returned to a candlelit dining room, dinner laid out on the table, and his wife waiting eagerly for him.

"Sam, wow, this is incredible. You shouldn't have gone to all this trouble."

"It's for you."

"Well, I've got something for you."

Pete pulled out a small, velvet box from his pocket and handed it to her. Sam opened it slowly and gasped as she saw a beautiful diamond necklace inside. Pete pulled it out, placed her long hair onto one side, and encircled her neck with the white gold chain. She thanked him by kissing him, and he had to remind her that their dinner was waiting for them. She sat as he selected a bottle of wine. He opened the bottle, filled their glasses, and turned down the lights, so the only light was from the candles.

"Sam."

"Yes?"

"Do you want white wine? I didn't think to ask and you haven't touched the red."

"No thanks. I don't really want wine right now."

Pete shrugged it off and continued with his dinner. Once they had cleared their plates, Sam told Pete to stay seated while she brought in desert. He blew out the candles and turned on the lights and TV. He remembered that he needed to charge his cell phone, and went to the hallway to retrieve his charger. He bent down to plug it in, only to discover there were plastic plugs blocking the socket. He removed one, and plugged his phone in. Sam returned with his favourite desert and joined him on the couch. He picked up the remote and started flipping channels until she grabbed the remote from him and changed to one of those medical shows, presently showing a child being born. Mid bite, it hit him. He almost dropped his plate as he turned to Sam with hope written on his face.

"Sam?"

"Yes."

"Are you...?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"We are taking about the same thing here right?"

"I hope so."

"What are you talking about?"

"Pete. You're going to be a dad in just under 8 months."

_AN: Don't worry, it will be S/J eventually..._


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: Keep in mind, if there was a major character death, I would've put a warning on this story..._

_Six Months Later_

Pete arrived home from work, late as usual, to find his wife curled up on the hallway linoleum, sobbing, and holding her abdomen. After last time, Pete took no chances and rushed her to the hospital. After the doctor had delivered the devastating news to him, he entered her room cautiously. She had already been told, and was lying on the bed, deathly pale, and staring at the wall. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she turned away as quickly as she could. He tried talking to her but received no response. He stayed until she drifted into a drug induced sleep and drove home slowly. The door had been left unlocked in his haste earlier, and he turned the handle and entered looking for signs of anything missing. On the floor, next to where he had found her, was an unopened slightly crumpled envelope. It was addressed to Gen. J. O'Neill. There was a stamp on it indicating the reason it had been returned. A black pen had slashed through entire label making it difficult to tell whether or not he was not at the current address or deceased. He flipped the envelope over and ripped it open. Why would his wife be writing to him? In the three and a half years they had been married, this man had not had any contact with his family, so why now? He scanned the letter and threw it aside. It was a short update on her life. He had seen the emails she had received from Daniel and this was nothing like it. What he read appeared wooden and formal, where as Daniel's emails were always full of news and friendly gossip. True, Sam hadn't received one in many months, but that was becoming the norm. He had hoped that she was finally letting go of the SGC.

The next day he returned to the hospital. Sam was a little more responsive, but shied away from his touch. The doctor said it was normal after such a trauma, yet Pete remembered Sam crying into his shoulder the first time. When the doctor left he turned to his wife.

"Sam, it's going to be ok."

"Why weren't you here this morning?" He was startled at the cold voice.

"I had to go to work."

"No you didn't. I called."

"I was there. They didn't see me probably. Just went into my office and grabbed a few papers."

"I talked to James. He said you'd called this morning, about 8am."

James was the man who worked in the same office as Pete. When she'd called, he'd been his usual joking self, commenting on how Pete wouldn't stop talking about the baby. He also asked what she had thought of the bracelet Pete had bought. Bracelet! She didn't remember receiving any jewelry from him since their anniversary. She still hadn't responded when he had asked if the restaurant he had suggested had been ok. Sam had lied that she had to go and hung up. She was sure that he hadn't been at the office, but had called in case he had been. That had been happening fairly often before she had become pregnant again. Then Pete had started arriving home on time for the first month. Suddenly the excuses had started all over again. Same excuse every time. A new member of his team he was training, a Chris somebody or other.

* * *

After the first miscarriage she had seen several doctors, who could not come up with a reason why. Pete suggested she cut back her hours at the university and when she became pregnant again, she had. Yesterday, as she had been browsing for a crib, she had seen Pete and his new recruit, Chris. Chris was nothing like she'd first envisioned. Long legs, long chestnut hair, a hint of flirt in her hips as she walked. She had stared in horror as she watched this woman kiss her husband in a way that spoke volumes. He had reciprocated and it had all Sam could do to stay where she was. She knew that confronting him now would end up with him being hurt and her possibly charged with assaulting an officer. She may have been out of the military for a few years, but all that hand to hand combat drilled into her head, had stuck. It was like riding a bike. Instinct. The sickeningly sweet woman in the store had asked if she was ok, after seeing Sam's knuckles go white from grasping the crib too tightly. Sam forced a smile onto her face, said she'd just remembered she'd left her car unlocked and walked as calmly as she could out of the store. Not seeing Pete or Chris anywhere, she bolted for her car, slammed the door and turned the key in the ignition. She kept the tears of fury from spilling over. The last thing she needed right now was to blur her vision, start driving erratically and get pulled over by one of her husbands co-workers. Once home, she checked the garage to make sure he wasn't home. Inside, the phone was blinking, informing her of a message. It was Pete, apologizing profusely, but he would be much later than expected. She threw the phone at the wall with all her might, popping the battery out and shattering the caller id screen. Once the computer loaded she checked their joint account, looking for signs she had missed. She had done the accounting in the first few months of their marriage, but for all her genius at the impossible, balancing the books was a chore that she loathed, and took her a ridiculous amount of time. Eventually, Pete had offered to do it and she had gladly accepted. She scanned the accounts noticing nothing unusual. Remembering Pete had set up a retirement account about a year ago, she checked that, and stared in amazement. The money that had been deposited in the last few months, was only her contribution. Where was his? Looking back at the account, there were transfers to an account with a similar number, which she couldn't access. Sam almost smacked her head on the desk. Why hadn't she noticed this before? Why hadn't she checked the accounts when she had suspected him of cheating around their anniversary? She'd only had a shirt with a supposed coffee stain on it, very few phone calls to the office to go on, and she'd dropped it when nothing else had happened. Now she felt like an idiot. How obvious had it been to everyone and who else knew about it? She grabbed her keys and went to leave the house, stopping just outside the door when she noticed a letter poking out of the mailbox. She pulled out the envelope and scanned the front. Shocked, she walked back into the house and her legs crumpled as she read the label again. The dam of tears overflowed, and she lost herself in her sorrow.

* * *

The doctor returned several hours later and spoke to them both. He asked if there had been any unusual stress in her life recently. Pete jumped in before Sam could say a word, talking about how she'd cut her hours back after the last time but other than that nothing else struck him as unusual. Sam gave the doctor a blank look, still in shock from the events of the past few days. The remainder of the day passed in a blur, and she barely remembered the drive home, or Pete carrying her into their room, placing her on their bed, and shutting the door. She couldn't sleep as her mind was working overtime, running over the different options she had. Pete returned with some of the drugs the doctor had given her and she took them from him. She took the ones to help her sleep knowing that right now, she wouldn't be able to fall asleep on her own. 


	4. Chapter 4

Sam smiled at the mailman as he approached her apartment building. He was probably a few years younger than her father had been before he died, and was a friendly and pleasant man. The day she had arrived home with a new TV stand, struggling to get it in the door, he had picked up the one end of the box and helped her up three flights of stairs. Ever since, she always made a point to chat with him when she saw him. Which she admitted, wasn't very often. He only stopped for a quick hello and she strolled leisurely towards the local coffee shop before heading to the garage. Her car had been broken into and she'd had to get the window fixed. Fortunately, there was a good mechanic less than half an hour away from her house, and the walk would do her good. While still healthy, she was not as physically fit as she had been when she was on SG-1. She wanted to get back into peak condition, but had buried herself in her work instead. After thanking and paying the mechanic, she drove to work, glad the weekend started tomorrow. This week had been hectic with a new assistant to train, and all the papers to sign for her lawyer. Her plans for her days off included some shopping, cleaning, and plenty of sleeping. She walked into her lab feeling a bounce in her step.

"Hey. You get your car back?" A tall redheaded man in a ridiculously small lab coat, turned to greet her.

"Yes."

"You fill out a police report?"

"Nah. They didn't take anything, so why bother."

"Where's Vikki? I thought she was supposed to be training with you today?"

"She's got an appointment this morning. She'll be in later. Why do you ask Scott?"

She loved to tease this man. He was even tempered, yet blushed at the slightest embarrassing comment, gesture or sight. Just as he was doing now. Sam grinned. Scott was on loan for the day to help her with the final tests, and now she couldn't wait for her new assistant to arrive. Making the most of her time before Vikki arrived, she pulled on her lab coat and joined Scott at the workbench.

"She's single you know."

"Oh."

"You should invite her out to the summer BBQ."

"Yeah, maybe."

"If you don't, someone else will."

"What about you? Bringing anyone?"

"No."

"No one special?"

"No."

"Really? I find that hard to believe."

"There was someone once."

"What happened?"

"Shit."

"There's something wrong?"

"No, shit happened."

"Ah."

Scott got the hint and dropped the subject. Had he been a few years older, he wouldn't mind going out with her. Several of the guys already had asked and received a thank you for asking, yet firm no. He glanced at Sam who had returned to her work, concentrating deeply. The conversation changed to a discussion over the formula they were testing and the previous conversation was forgotten.

Sitting in front of her TV, a glass of wine in her hand, Sam's mind wandered down memory lane. She remembered the look on Pete's face when she had told him to leave. At first he had looked shocked, then the expression had quickly turned to one of fury. She had been out of her bed for only a day, and had known immediately what she had to do. Pete hadn't denied it, but turned the blame onto her. He accused her of loving another and driving him into the arms of a new woman. When she had laughed at him, he pulled out the envelope addressed to O'Neill. She could see clearly that it had been opened, and knew he had read it. He had taunted her about the death of her former friend, and team mate. When he commented that if she hadn't seen that letter, she wouldn't have lost their baby, she had lost it. Before she registered what she was doing, her fist landed on his face. Pete, too shocked to react, had fallen back onto the wall, knocking their wedding picture onto the floor, and smashing the glass. He had left that night. Her lawyer advised her to expect some sort of police investigation, but nothing happened. The house and belongings were sold and she had moved to Washington D.C. to start anew. She had changed her name back to Carter as soon as she could. She wanted everyone in D.C. to know her as Dr. Carter. The divorce had finalized that week, and she felt incredibly relieved. The only other time she had seen her ex-husband without lawyers around, he had come to her apartment in Trenton, begging forgiveness. She knew she had to leave the city then and never wanted to see him again. A friend at the university had told her about a job in D.C. doing research with chemicals. Not being a chemist, she hadn't expected to get it, but the chemicals were being developed for so many uses, so a physicist on board never hurt. Or so they told her when they hired her. Now she oversaw one of the projects and had a small team working with her. The current project was a new kind of fuel for planes the government wanted. Not ever seeing the official request, she couldn't help but wonder if this new fuel was being designed for an alien/ human invented craft. Sighing, she wandered over to her computer and checked her email. There was one from Mark, inviting her to stay with him and the kids for a week during their summer vacation. Mark had been angry that she had left Pete until he heard her side of the story. After that, he had cut off all contact with him and she had spent several weeks with him before accepting her current job. After moving several times, changing her name, and email, she had lost contact with Daniel. He had never replied to her last email, the one she sent before she lost her child, and tried not to ponder what had happened. She could always take a trip to Colorado Springs, but always found a reason not to go. The phone interrupted her thoughts and she rushed to answer it. One of the women from work invited her out for drinks at a lounge and she eagerly accepted. Anything to keep her mind off it's current path.

_AN: If Sam were to see someone who works at the SGC, would I be right in assuming they wouldn't be allowed to tell her anything as she doesn't have clearence anymore? _


	5. Chapter 5

Sam threw her jacket over the couch, grabbed a diet soda from the fridge and collapsed on the wing back chair. The BBQ had been fun but a lot of work. Somehow she'd ended up organizing it and when the BBQ's hadn't shown up she'd been the one running all over town trying to find one to rent. As it was the middle of BBQ season, it hadn't been easy. On a brighter note, Scott had arrived with Vikki. They'd had a fight earlier that month and Sam had listened to Vikki as she had ranted and raved about how useless men were. After the cleanup was done, and the BBQ's returned, she had said her goodbyes and raced home for some relaxation and a nice hot bath.

On Monday everyone was in a great mood. Seems that the company's summer BBQ had been a hit again. Next time, Sam swore she wouldn't be in charge. Thinking back to the previous day, Sam realised that by running around, making sure everything was running smoothly, she had kept herself busy. Usually at these kind of gatherings, with everyone bringing their families, she felt lonely and went home miserable. For once, she didn't feel like that. She breezed into her lab with a huge smile on her face. She finally felt the strings of her former life slip away.

They were busy at the lab and due to the snow everyone was trickling in late, grumbling about the traffic. Sam absently listened to the others in her lab as she rechecked her notes. Today was the day they performed one of their final tests. After that, the fuel substance would go to a secure area to be tested in whatever it was intended for. She knew that there would be members of the military here and hoped no one would recognize her. Her boss entered the lab and announced that every thing was ready and would they proceed to the large lab with the observing room. Sam grabbed what she needed, sent a reassuring smile to her team, and followed them out the door.

The test went off perfectly and she rushed back to her lab. She wanted to drop off her notes before heading to lunch. Rounding a corner, not watching where she was going, she ran smack into someone, and her papers flew all over the floor.

"Sorry about that."

"Let me help you ma'am."

"No that's ok. Just a few notes.." Sam stopped as she saw the man. She recognized him but couldn't remember where.

"Are you ok?"

"Yes. I'm fine." She took in the green BDU's with patches missing. SGC? What was he doing here?

"Ma'am?"

"Sorry, just recognized the uniform."

"Have we met before?"

"I'm not sure. I worked at Cheyenne Mountain for a while. Perhaps I recognize you from there?"

The man did a double take and looked closely at her face. He remembered the eyes but that was about it.

"I'm sorry. I don't remember you Ma'am."

"Dr. Samantha Carter." She held out her hand, and he shook it.

"I'm sorry I don't remember."

"I worked with General O'Neill."

"You knew the General?"

"Yes."

"Well I'm sorry Ma'am but I must go. Nice to meet you."

He turned and headed down the hall in the direction she had just come from. Sam's good mood evaporated. Talking to the man had raised her hopes, only to have them dashed again. She wanted to run after him and ask about her old team, and her friends. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to get any information from him, she turned and continued on to her lab.

_AN: Sorry it's just a shorty. More soon._


	6. Chapter 6

She loved to run. There was something about placing one foot in front of another, watching the world pass by, feeling the breeze through her hair, and taking out her frustration on the road. She had not enjoyed running this much when it had been part of her daily training at the SGC. This was different. The fresh air, the chance she had to not think, and the great feeling she had after taking a shower. She tried to run a few miles everyday, but while she had been in D.C. for several meetings, she hadn't been able to go out. Today was her second last day and she had nothing planned for the rest of the day. A quick run, then back to the hotel for a shower, and then she wasn't sure. Perhaps she would go check out some of the sights. She'd been to most of them as a child with her father, then on official visits, had seen more. There was lots to see and she knew she wouldn't be bored. Tomorrow was the final meeting, then back home.

She ran past the Jefferson Memorial, towards the Washington Monument, taking in the vivid colours of the trees. It was the perfect day to run, in her opinion. A beautiful fall day, the leaves crunching under her feet, the crisp air making her skin a healthy rosy colour. She ran, mindful of the others using the pathway, and careful of those who didn't seem to be inclined to share. As she ran past the Washington Monument, and towards the White House, her mind wandered over the next task she and her team had been handed. A nuclear power company wanted them to create a more cost efficient chemical and a new process of cleaning up some of their hazardous materials. She sank deep into thought as she continued past the tourists surrounding the White House and made her way back the way she had come. She didn't notice the man sitting on a bench watching her from a distance.

* * *

He had been enjoying the afternoon. Well, enjoying it because he had nothing else to do right then and there. He was waiting for his ride to show up. Thankful he had taken the time to change into something more comfortable as the long wait in that outfit, in the sun, wouldn't have been too enjoyable. He fiddled with the Swiss Army Knife in his hand, watching the tourists wander by. A woman caught his eye. She was running, wearing dark sweatpants, a baggy t-shirt, her long blond hair bouncing in it's ponytail. She was still too far away for him to see her face, but he watched her, mesmerized. As her face became visible to him, his breath caught in his throat.

* * *

She ran, oblivious to the man staring at her. Unlike others, she preferred to run without music. It felt like a distraction and she didn't find it as calming. She ran past the benches and almost missed the voice. 

"Carter?"

She turned around to see who had called her name. Not seeing anyone, she shrugged it off. She had either misheard or there was someone else with that name here. She almost laughed to herself. The likelihood of her seeing anyone she knew was slim to none, and everyone she knew called her by her title or her first name.

"CARTER!"

This time she stopped dead in her tracks. That voice, she would recognize it anywhere. But how? He was dead. Was she loosing it? Work hadn't been that bad and she'd handled more before. Slowly she turned around and scanned the immediate area for his face.

He watched as she ran closer to him. He wanted to be sure it was her, and he hadn't seen her for around 5 years. He called out her name, and watched as she turned briefly. It was her. He was positive. He got off the bench and called her name again, louder, and cursed at himself. She hadn't been Carter for years. He watched as she stopped abruptly and scanned the crowd of people. Before he could stop himself, his feet propelled him towards her. He knew when she saw him, as her expression of confusion turned to one of shock.

"Jack?"

_AN: Sorry about the delay, but I wanted to finish the other story first. Let me know what you think..._


	7. Chapter 7

She stared at him, speechless. Perhaps it was time to turn around and run for the hotel. Sleep, she reasoned, she needed sleep. Taking a closer look at him as he approached, she knew it was really him, not a figment of her imagination. He stopped several feet away from her and she took one hesitant step towards him. '

"I thought you were dead," she gasped at him.

"Now, Carter, why would you think that?"

"A letter I sent to you was returned."

"When?"

"Over a year ago."

"Ah."

Sam had been hoping for an explanation. Now she thought she had it. He had returned the letter, and the stamp with the slash through it had been someone in a hurry at the post office. He didn't want anything to do with her, he had made himself quite clear. She nodded at him and turned to continue on her way.

"Carter, I moved."

"Moved?" Sam turned back to face him.

"Yeah, didn't need the house anymore, so I sold it."

"When."

"Couple of years ago."

"Why?"

"Took a different job. Moved from Colorado Springs."

"Oh."

"What made you think I was dead?"

"The letter, when it was delivered back to me, had a stamp on it. Couldn't quite tell where the check mark was supposed to be but it was closer to the deceased option than any other."

"Me, nah, can't kill me off apparently."

"What about the others?"

"Carter, you know I can't really discuss that with you."

"I just want to know, are they ok?"

"They're all fine."

"I haven't heard from anyone in so long that I thought you were all gone."

"Nope, still alive an kickin. So what about you?"

"Me?"

"Yeah, I've gotta admit I was kinda surprised when you answered to Carter."

"Well, it was my name for how many years?" She practically spat the words out.

"Ok, ok. Just saying..."

"Sir, don't worry about it. What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for my ride." He checked his watch and looked around for the car.

"Official business?"

"Yes. You?"

"Had some meetings to attend. Going back home tomorrow after the last one."

"Ah. Well, I won't keep you."

"Sir?"

"Carter?"

"Never mind."

"Ok, see ya around."

Sam watched as he checked his watch and sauntered away into the mob of tourists surrounding them. She stayed where she was for several minutes, watching his retreating form wander towards the road. She started to feel cooler from staying in one place, and began to run again, her mind no longer filled with work.


	8. Chapter 8

Jack thanked the driver and slammed the car door. He was relieved to be home as it had been quite the day. His meeting with the President and Joint Chiefs had not gone as smoothly as it could've, and running into Carter had thrown him off balance. After she had left, all those years ago, he had forced himself to forget her. It hadn't been easy, as the SGC was full of little reminders. When he had been offered Hammond's position at Homeworld Security it hadn't taken much thinking. He had said yes, once Daniel's request to travel to Atlantis had been approved. Jack remembered those last days at the SGC fondly. The last of the original SG-1 were leaving, and for good. Teal'c was going to Ishta and to Dakara, Daniel was on cloud nine every second of the day, without the assistance of caffeine. There had been a small going away get together at O'Malley's with only the SGC personnel. Jack cringed as he remembered how much they had all drunk. Daniel had been staggering not too long after their arrival and even Teal'c had indulged. Jack had gone past indulged and kept on drinking. He hadn't remembered most of the night, or the drive home. He did however, remember the misery of the following day.

He had packed up his house, and hired a moving company. He left was the last one of the team to leave Colorado Springs. The moving truck had departed that morning, and now it was his turn. He started his truck and left, without a backwards glance.

At first he had hated his new job. Exactly what he had been trying to avoid all his life. A desk job. Even when he had been in charge at the SGC he didn't stay at his desk for long. There had always been something going on to distract him. Now he was stuck at his desk, in his own office, with a secretary outside, redirecting any calls that he could possibly find distracting.

He poured over the reports from the SGC, able to imagine the situations they were placed in. Everytime Daniel sent a report he dropped everything he was doing and read it with attention to every detail. Daniel was enjoying himself thoroughly and seemed to be in no hurry to return home. They had received no word from Teal'c in several months, but the last he had heard, everything was going great in Jaffa land.

Eventually he had settled into his new position. He enjoyed the fact that he was usually home at a decent hour, and could take time off to go fishing. The Major General title hadn't hurt either. He thought that Colonel was as high as he could or would go. Not that he was complaining, but some days he wished life had turned out differently.

He turned on the TV looking for hockey games to watch, and grabbed a pizza from the freezer. Shoving it into the oven, opening a beer, he collapsed onto his couch, content. He had a few days off before he was to travel to the SGC for a week or so.

After eating most of the pizza and downing more than a few beers, his mind wandered back to the unexpected meeting. Just seeing her had opened old wounds he thought were long forgotten about. She was just as beautiful as he remembered, and he had never thought of her with long hair. Where was she working now? Was she still living in New Jersey with Pete or had they moved again? Thinking about Pete was like a cold shower as it had the same effect. He shook himself, and started to clear up the remains of his dinner. He repeated the same sentiment he had done years ago. Sam was married, and would never be his.

* * *

Sam ran straight into her hotel room and jumped in the shower. She was still shocked at the encounter. He was alive! Tears of relief mixed with the hot water pouring from the shower head. She replayed the conversation over in her head. He had ended it abruptly and she realised she never told him about the divorce. It wasn't one of those topics she usually discussed with anyone now, but she felt she had to let him know. It was too late now but she wondered what he had been doing. The bag he had been carrying suggested to her that his dress blues were inside. He had probably been at a meeting with the President and would probably be flying home, where ever that would be, that day. She turned on her laptop and loaded her email. If Daniel was still alive, maybe he had his old email address still. She typed a few lines updating him on her life and apologizing for not trying this earlier. She hit send and tried to clear her mind of the thoughts seeing Jack had sprouted. He had turned cold and distant when she had commented on the use of her last name. She hadn't been surprised, after all he had known her as 'Carter' for years. To hear Shannahan in his voice now would have caused her to start sprinting in the opposite direction. 

She wondered what he was doing here and why he had moved. Perhaps he had gotten married. He had been dating a Kerry for a while, and she was sure there had been others. She had been out of the loop for five years, plenty of time for him to remarry and settle down. She sighed as she did her hair. Life had been good recently, and she didn't want this to change anything. If he had wanted to restart their old friendship she was sure he would've left a phone number or way to contact him. The best way she could think of dealing with this was to forget it had happened


	9. Chapter 9

Jack eagerly waited for the plane to land, as he couldn't wait to get to the SGC. Daniel had finally returned home, and he had been sent to discuss the new alien at the base, who claimed to have a tablet for Daniel to translate. She'd been there for several months, driving everyone insane, according to General Landry. Apparently she knew Daniel, and had been kept at the base until his return. Now Jack and Daniel were to interrogate her and find out what she knew, or didn't know.

Entering Daniel's lab, he could almost believe that the past year or so, never happened. The shelves and desk were littered with books, documents and bits of scrap paper with a few words scribbled on them.

"Jack!"

"Hey Daniel."

"You got here fast!"

"I came as soon as I could. Well, that's not true. I came as soon as I received the order to do so."

"Oh."

"We did know you were coming 3 weeks ago. Plenty of time to get here."

Jack grinned at Daniel as the two men embraced.  
"So you had 3 weeks to plan and you're still late?" Jack knew Daniel was only joking.

"You've only been back, what, 2 hrs and your office is already a mess."

"I don't think I cleaned up before I left. Just trying to check all my mail. You guys changed the emails, and I can't access the old account."

"Yeah, done a year or two back. Had some problems with security so those that know of such things suggested the entire base get new emails."

"Any way of accessing the old ones?"

"Probably. Ask Landry."

"So, anything new here?"

"Nope. Not really."

"Why are you here?"

"I was sent to say hello."

"Jack."

"Daniel."

"There's another reason you're here."

"Ah, yes. The other shoe."

"Daniel." This time the voice wasn't Jacks. It was silky smooth and definitely female. Daniel turned towards the door not wanting his eyes to confirm what his mind thought.

"Vala?" Damn.

"Who else were you expecting?"

"Anyone else. What are you doing here?"

"I came here looking for you, only you weren't here."

"When was this?"

"About 6 months ago." Jack had met Vala before and wanted to laugh at Daniel's reaction. It was a mixture of hatred and impatience.

"I came to get your help on a translation I need. These fine people offered to let me go back to another planet, but without my tablet, so I stayed."

"Why did you stay?"

"In a little room. Don't worry, they let me out sometimes to frolic."

"Not where, why?"

"I wanted to see you Daniel. I tried telling them I was pregnant to get you back here faster, but obviously it didn't work."

Daniel rolled his eyes at Jack as Vala sent him a huge smile. Jack was now curious to why Daniel was acting this way towards her. He was usually chivalrous and courteous to all women, and to see him treating her like a small child was unique.

"Fine, I'll look at the translation later."

"You'll need my help too."

"Why?"

"It's in code."

"Yeah, so."

"I have the cipher."

"Of course you do."

Her response was to smile brilliantly at him again.

"I know where to find you when I need you."

The airman escorted her out of the office as Daniel sat down, and put his head in his hands.

"Old friend?"

"Funny Jack. Remember that time I was on Prometheus?"

"When you were hijacked?"

"Yes. That was her."

"Her?"

"Don't say anything. It was several years ago."

"Uh huh."

Daniel returned to his computer and continued checking his email. Jack left to go see Landry for a few minutes, seeing as Daniel would be occupied with his hundreds of unread emails. At the office, Landry waved him in.

"Jack. I hear Daniel met our newest guest."

"Yeah. So what have you got for me today?"

"Ba'al's Jaffa have been spotted all over the place. They're growing in numbers, but haven't yet claimed a home world."

"Great. Any other news on the other System Lords we haven't found yet?"

Ever since the replicators and System Lords were defeated, the SGC had been helping the Free Jaffa search for the rogue goa'uld. There were many minor system lords still out there, somewhere, but the biggest player was Ba'al. So far, they hadn't been able to trace him, just his Jaffa. Nothing violent yet, but Jack knew it was only a matter of time.

"SG-3 found signs of recent activity on P1K 6S2."

"What kind of activity?''

"Surya."

"Isn't that the one who..."

"Yes. He's risen quickly as we feared. He's been planet hopping, collecting Jaffa without a god and claiming them as his own. As far as we are aware, he doesn't have a home planet yet, but the Tok'ra are still looking."

The two men discussed the recent missions and findings. Jack, while he had read most of the reports, found the information stuck in his head a little longer if he could chat with someone about it. As the two men wrapped up their discussion General Landry gave Jack a folder.

"What's this?"

"It's a request."

"For?"

"We're going to need some assistance with the gas we've been working on."

"The one that kills goa'uld?"

"Yes."

"Why can't the Tok'ra help?"

"We haven't had chance to ask them, and we haven't heard from any of them for a long time."

"What about Area 51?"

"They couldn't get it right either."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Remember that company that tested the new fuel for us?"

"Yeah."

"I'm suggesting we bring them in on this."

"Hank, that's a huge risk."

"I know but we're running out of options."

"I'll pass it along."

"Thanks Jack."

"Oh, one more thing, Daniel was asking about his old email address."

"We had the emails forwarded to his new account."

"Ah."

Jack left his old office and wandered back to Daniel's office, to find him still pouring over his emails.

"I've got some old emails here. They sent the ones to my old address here."

"Yeah, just asked Landry about it."

"Got a few from Sam."

"Oh?"

"One a few months ago, just a short one."

"Ah." Jack started fiddling with several objects on the desk, not really wanting to hear how she was doing.

"Said she's not with Pete anymore."

"Really?" Jack was surprised but tried not to show it. When had this happened, before or after he had run into her?

"Yeah, over a year ago. Are you still acting like she doesn't exist?"

"Daniel, drop it."

"Jack."

"Daniel."

"She was your friend. Aren't you at least a little curious how she's doing?"

Jack told Daniel of his encounter several weeks ago, in a few short sentences. When he was done, Daniel stared at him in shock.

"She thought I was dead, Daniel."

"It's like you have been though. You haven't spoken to her since she left. Why?"

"You know the reasons."

"But they no longer exist."

"Doesn't change much right now."

"C'mon Jack. We all know how you felt about her, so why don't you just..."

"Stop Daniel. I know what I should just do and I don't want to, not anymore. I've moved on, I'm a different guy now."

"That's a pretty stupid way of looking at this."

"Oh, and you're the expert?"

"Jack, all I'm saying is that she's probably in need of a friend."

"No Daniel. I walked that road once, not going to do it again."

"Fine, but I replied to her message."

"Good for you. Now how about some lunch?"

Daniel shrugged off the change in subject and followed Jack to the commissary.

* * *

Sam dropped her purse on the table by the door, relieved to be home. It had been one hell of a day. The lab next to her had started a small fire and the sprinklers had kicked in, and everyone had evacuated. Once the fire department had declared the building safe, she had entered her lab to find everything waterlogged. All her notes, her laptop and the tests she had been working on were all ruined. Scott and Vikki had helped her clean the mess up, but she would have to start anew the next morning. As she walked past the computer she turned it on, and went into the kitchen to start dinner. 

Dinner finished, and the dishes cleaned up, she grabbed her glass of wine and sat down in front of her computer. She rarely checked her personal email anymore as no one used it. If Mark wanted to get hold of her, he'd call, as would most of her friends. All emails for work went to her address at the lab, and she never had any interest in the junk that was sent to her personal account. She skimmed through the messages that had accumulated in the past week since she'd last checked it, fully expecting to get to the end, and click on delete all. A name jumped out at her. There was an email from Dr. D. Jackson.

She opened the message, curious as to what it could say.

_Sam:_

_It's great to hear from you! Sorry it's been so long but I've been 'away', and have only been back for several hours._

_Where are you living now? Still in Trenton? Where are you working?_

_It's been so long since I've talked to you that if I keep going this email will be longer than a novel._

_If you're up for a visit, let me know, and I'll stop by._

_Gotta go, think I hear Jack returning._

_Daniel_

Sam read and reread the email. In her reply she included her phone number and asked him to call. She would love to get together with him as it had been a long time since she'd seen or heard from him. Turning off the computer she mused over his 'trip'. She assumed he had finally been able to go to Atlantis, and smiled when she remembered the attempts he had made previously to go. Sam turned on the TV and relaxed before going to bed early, as she expected a long day tomorrow.

* * *

When she arrived at her lab, she found Vikki and Scott waiting for her. The lab had been cleaned completely by the cleaning staff that came in at night. She smiled at both and poured herself a cup of coffee. 

"Hi Sam. How was your evening?"

"Good. So any ideas on where to start?"

"I dunno, but there was a guy here looking for you."

"For me? Who?"

"Didn't leave a name, just said he'd be back."

"Great. Well, I suggest that we check our notes and see if we're missing anything. I don't want to start new tests without all the information."

"Ok. You need anything from your office?"

Yeah, I'll go grab it. You two stay here."

Sam left the lab and took the stairs up one floor to her office. It was a tiny space with a desk, computer, filing cabinet and shelving unit. The door was ajar and she opened the door cautiously, as it was supposed to be kept locked, unless she, or one of her team, was in there.

"Hi Sam."

"Daniel!"

"Long time, no see."

Daniel stood up as Sam dashed to hug him.

"You're looking great Sam."

"You too. How have you been keeping?"

"Good. Why are you here? Not that I'm not happy you aren't, but I thought when you mentioned visiting, you meant at home."

"I did. Then I was asked to come here."

"Why?"

"We need your help."

"With what?"

"First I need you to sign this."

Daniel slid a folder over the desk towards her. She picked it up, opened it, and immediately recognized the confidentiality agreement for civilian personnel at the SGC. Signing it immediately and handing it back to Daniel, she took a seat, indicating he do the same.

"So what's up?"

"We've run into a little problem with a gas."

"A gas?"

"The one that was developed to kill symbiotes."

"What kind of problem."

"We need to 'dilute' it."

"For what?"

"We don't want to kill thousands of Jaffa, and we want to question any goa'uld we capture."

"So you need it to knock them out for a while, not kill them."

"Yes."

"What about Area 51 or our allies?"

"They couldn't figure it out and we haven't heard much from our allies. Obviously we don't want the Free Jaffa trying to do anything with it, and we haven't heard from the Tok'ra in ages."

"But why me? I'm not a chemist!"

"You have some great people working with you, and you did work on another project for the SGC recently."

"The fuel. I knew it."

"Plus, the SGC needs to develop an efficient way to deliver the gas throughout the base evenly, and in weapon form, off world."

"Am I going to have to move?"

"Not if you don't want to. You can stay here while you figure out how to dilute it, but if you choose to take part in the delivery method, you'll have to go to the SGC."

"I'm not sure about that Daniel."

"Don't even think about it yet. It could be a ways off."

"What about the project I'm currently working on?"

"The supervisor I talked to earlier mentioned there'd been a fire yesterday and you had lost some of your work."

"Yes."

"He's going to reassign that project to another group."

"Do I get to pick my own team?"

"Yes, but they all have to sign the confidentiality agreement. The only request is that you keep your team to a minimum."

"No problem. I've got two I work with now and they're the ones I'd pick for this."

"Good. Got any plans for lunch?"

"I hope so."

"What about work?"

"I don't have any project on the go right now." Sam gave him a cheeky grin which he returned.

"Ok, but it's still too early for lunch."

"I'll just go ask Vikki and Scott to get their notes together for the next team. They can do that without me. I'm owed several days, so no one will fuss if I take today off."

"Sounds like a plan."

Daniel followed Sam in his rental car, back to her place. She'd insisted on going home to change before going anywhere. Daniel browsed the pictures on her wall as she changed, recognizing many of them. There were many pictures that had been taken while she was at the SGC. He saw Cassie, Janet, Teal'c, himself and Jack. Looking at one frame with several spots for pictures, he couldn't help but notice that the only ones with Jack in them, were ones with the entire team. He saw one of him and Janet sitting together at one of Cassie's early birthday parties, several of Teal'c and Cassie, and a few pictures with one of them at an unsuspecting moment. It was obvious that the only reason Jack was in any of the pictures, was that there was no way she could've removed him from them without ruining the picture, and even those were few and far between.

"Done."

"Sorry, just looking at some pictures."

"Back in the good ol'days eh?"

"Yeah."

"It's still early for lunch, any suggestions on where you would like to go?"

"As long as they serve coffee, anywhere is good."

" I know a great little place, and they won't mind if we're there for a while."

"Your car or mine?"

"Mine, I know the area."

Sam took Daniel to a cozy, yet fairly busy, restaurant. When they entered, the woman greeted Sam as a friend and Sam indicated a booth towards the back, with few other tables around. That way they could discuss business without too much concern of being overheard. When the waitress brought them their drinks, Sam's questions began. She asked about his trip to Atlantis, but he couldn't tell her everything, as she hadn't been given complete clearance. She understood, and didn't push him for details when he said he couldn't elaborate. He told her about Vala, and how she was driving him crazy. He'd been back around a month, and this woman had been continually on his case about a translation she needed. As he was busy catching up on everything he had missed when he was away, he hadn't had much time to do any translating. He admitted to Sam, that had anyone but Vala brought him the tablet, he would've gladly jumped right in, but there was something about her that made him put if off.  
After they had finished their lunch, Sam got the the question that had been bugging her since she'd seen the confidentiality agreement.

"Daniel, why did they send you to talk to me?"

"You wanted someone else?"

"No, no, I didn't mean it like that. I'm glad they sent you, but I would've thought they'd send some Air Force personnel down. This is more up Davis's alley than yours."

"He was supposed to come and brief you, but I asked to come instead."

"Was it General Landry?" Daniel had told her of the changes at the base, the new General, and CMO.

"No, another General though."

"Oh. You know who?"

"Oh yes, I know him well. As do you."

"General O'Neill." She couldn't hide the sigh that came out with the words.

"Yes. He mentioned it to me, and I asked if I could do it."

"I'm glad you did."

"Me too."

"Will I be seeing much of you guys now?"

"Probably not right away, not unless you agree to participate in the second phase."

"Ok."

"Why did you ask? Not wanting to see some of your old co-workers?"

"It's not that, I just don't want to see how things have changed."

"At the base, or with a certain someone?"

"In general, you know."

At that time, one of the waiters came over to chat with Sam. Daniel escaped to the bathroom to give them some time to chat. He took as long as he could, and returned to them still talking. The man excused himself as Daniel sat down.

"Who was that?"

"A friend."

"Just a friend?"

"Yes, just a friend. Don't read anything into it."

"Is there anyone..."

"No. There hasn't been since Pete."

"What happened with Pete, if you don't mind me asking?"

Sam told him some of what had happened in a few short sentences, her voice absent of any emotion. Daniel felt terrible for asking and apologized to her.

"Don't worry about it. I don't talk about it at work, or to anyone, really."

"Are you okay though?"

"Yes."

"So you're against men now?"

"I wouldn't say against men. Just much more cautious."

"What about old friends?"

"What are you getting at Daniel?"

"I'm talking about Jack. He mentioned he'd run into you."

"He did, did he."

"Yes. He told me you thought he was dead. Why?"

"It was silly really. I misread a stamp on a letter returned to me. Besides it was like he was dead. I haven't heard from him in years."

"We tried to get him to come visit but he always had some excuse."

"It was probably for the best. I'm surprised he mentioned the encounter, as he seemed in such a hurry to leave."

"You know Jack. Situations like those and he runs."

"Situations like those! Two old friends running into each other and he runs away! At least I know where I stand with him now."

Daniel swore to himself. He hadn't intended for Sam to get upset, just find out what she was thinking. He tried backtracking and apologizing.

"Sam, I didn't mean it like that. You know how he felt towards you."

"Then why didn't he say anything?"

"Regulations."

"He didn't say anything, so I thought I'd made the whole thing up. If he had just said something, maybe our lives would be different."

"I think he realises that now."

"Too late for that. I'm not interested anymore."

"In him, or in relationships generally."

"Either or, take your pick."

"So if you end up working together?"

"Strictly professional."

"As long as we can get along."

Sam changed the subject to a more pleasant topic and they finished their day without mentioning Jack or Pete again. Daniel informed Sam that she couldn't talk to Vikki or Scott until their background checks had been done. Before he got into his car, Sam gave him a parting hug, thanking him for coming. Going back into her apartment, she sank into her couch. Did she really want to go back to the SGC? It didn't need an answer right now, but someday, she would have to make a decision.

_AN: Thanks for the reviews so far, and I'm glad you are enjoying this story. The ones I recieved for the last chapter got me all abuzz to write and post this one. This was origionally supposed to be two chapters but I felt it time for a longer one. Let me know what you think. :-)_


	10. Chapter 10

It didn't take long before Sam heard from Major Davis. She heard the results of the background checks from him personally. He showed up at her lab, escorted by one of the women who worked security, just after noon less than a week after Daniel left. Vikki and Scott tried to seem inconspicuous while he handed her a file. She opened it to reveal two confidentiality agreements.

"Now?"

"You have been given permission to discuss this with them. We feel that they may be more inclined to sign if they hear the information from you."

"Even though I am a civilian?"

"You understand the implications better than most."

"Ok. When?"

"I will return tomorrow for the answers and the signed documents. It would be preferable if you do not discuss this in any area where you may be overheard. We do have a facility at our disposal if you can not find a place suitable."

"I'll do it at my place."

"We will have men stationed around your apartment Dr. Carter."

"Uh, ok."

"No one will notice them."

"Ok."

"You have some specific instructions on what to tell them."

"I figured as much. Only what pertains to the project."

"Exactly. You may not mention our allies or any past missions that you were on."

"Can I discuss the gate?"

"No."

"No? How am I going to explain symbiotes?"

"You can find a way."

"Are they ever going to know?"

"If you choose to take them with you on phase two, then yes, they will be fully briefed then. For now, it's need to know basis only."

"Ok, I understand."

"Goodbye Ma'am."

Davis shook her hand, and walked away. Sam turned towards Vikki and Scott, who were looking guilty.

"You guys listening to my conversation?"

"No."

"Not for a lack of trying though." Sam grinned.

"You were too quiet. Next time speak up."

"You want to know what's going on Scott?"

"Uh, yeah. Why not."

"You and Vikki come to my place for pizza tonight. Say, uh, 6pm?"

"Sure. Where are you going?"

"I've got a few errands to run. Not like we're starting our new project yet. I'll see you guys later."

Sam pulled her jacket off her chair and swept out of the lab. She wanted a few hours to figure out how to tell them what they were about to help with, without actually telling them anything.

By six, Sam had figured out a way to tell them. The buzzer went and she let Vikki and Scott up. Taking their coats and guiding them to the table, she quenched the butterflies fluttering around in her midsection. Now was not the time for nervousness. Sam kept the conversation light over pizza and wine, as she didn't want to get into one of Scott's deep discussions before she broke her news. As the meal drew to a close, she could feel her hands shaking, and she knew her behaviour was drawing Vikki's concern. She invited them to sit down while she cleaned up, and calmed herself. She remembered the last time she had told someone of the program, other than Hailey, who she had shown the gate to. Her father had laughed and disbelieved her, until General Hammond had backed her up. He had still needed to see it for himself before he fully believed what she had been saying, and this time, she had no event horizon to show them, no planet to visit, nothing.

"I need to talk to you about something."

"What's wrong Sam? Are you ok?"

"Yes Vikki, I'm fine."

"You've been acting strange all night. What did that guy say earlier?"

"Don't worry about him, Scott. He's just someone I used to work with years ago."

"So what is it?"

Sam took a deep breath, and began.

"In this folder are confidentiality agreements. There is a project that I have accepted for the Air Force which is top secret. They are allowing me to choose my own team and I would be honoured if you guys would be it. Before I can give you the specifics you need to read and sign this document. Don't take it lightly. If you sign, you will be held to everything that is written there. No discussing this with anyone, other than myself and between each other. You will be charged with treason if you violate the rules and regulations stated. Any questions?"

Scott and Vikki looked at each other, then at Sam. Both were speechless as in a matter of moments the Sam they knew had changed from easy going, to having an air of authority that shone visibly from her.

"So that guy this morning, he's Air Force?" Scott was always the first with a quesiton, and usually many more to follow.

"Yes. He's Major Davis."

"You said you used to work with him."

"I did. I was a Colonel in the Air Force."

Scott's jaw dropped even further than Sam though it could possibly go.

"But you left."

"Shortly after I was married." Now it was Vikki's turn to gape at her.

"You were married?"

"Yes. I really don't want to discuss that."

"Ok. We won't."

"What did you do for the Air Force?"

"Theoretical astrophysics."

"Sure, you ever fly?"

"Yes Scott. Many times, many different aircraft."

"So why does they want you back now?"

"I'm not going back to the Air Force. They asked me to work on a project for them through work. I used to work on projects similar to this one, and I've already signed the agreement."

"Can you tell us more?"

"No. Not until you sign."

"Sam, what happens if we don't sign?"

"Vikki, if you don't, you don't. No hard feelings. It's up to you to decide, I'm not going to tell you what to do."

"Do we have to move or work somewhere else?" Sam understood Vikki's concern, as her entire family lived within 50 miles.

"No. We'll work out of the lab."

"Any other changes you can tell us about?"

"There will be a guard placed outside our door and any information we record will be locked up tightly every night. There will be no room for error."

"A guard! Are we going to be at risk?" Scott placed his arm protectively around Vikki.

"No. The project I am going to be working on is top secret. No one is to know what we are doing. Ever. Unless you are informed otherwise, but I wouldn't count on it."

"Is it a weapon?"

"I can't discuss the specifics with you yet."

"Uh, can we have a few moments?"

"Yeah, take all the time you need. Read the confidentiality agreement through, and please ask me if you have any concerns or questions. I'll be on the balcony."

Sam grabbed her cordless phone and let herself onto the balcony, closing the door firmly behind her. She dialed Daniel's number.

"Hello?"

"Daniel."

"Hi Sam. How's it going?"

"I'm not sure."

"You talked to them yet?"

"They're reading the agreement over. Nothing's signed yet."

Sam and Daniel talked until Scott came to get her. Sam looked at her watch, surprised that it was now almost 9pm. She sat down as Scott handed her the closed folder.

"Sam."

"Yes?" She had guessed it was a long shot. Without information on the project to base their decision on, she assumed they wouldn't sign.

"We've discussed this, and we have come to a decision."

"Can I look?"

"We signed. Both of us."

"Really!"

Sam ran over and gave them both a hug.

"Can I ask why?"

"You're doing it. It can't be too bad a deal. Also, you know me with secrets. I hate 'em." Sam grinned. Scott was notoriously bad for poking around in business that was not for him.

"Vikki, how do you feel?"

"I'm going with Scott on this. How can we get married if we have a secret at work between us."

"Ok, fair enough... wait, married?"

"Yes."

"When did this happen?"

"Just now."

"Wow. Congratulations guys. That's great news."

"So, what's the project?"

"I've got to ask a favour."

"Anything."

"Once I start, please don't stop me. Save your questions until I finish."

"Ok, Scott, say ok." Vikki hit her fiance lightly on the shoulder.

"Ok Sam, go ahead."

She sat down on the coffee table and began her speech. She spoke of a weapon being developed that was not harmful to humans or animal life. She explained as best she could, the urgent need for such a weapon, without talking about intergalactic travel, or aliens. She avoided looking at their faces in case their expressions of disbelief caused her to falter. Once she finished, she stood up, and started pacing around her coffee table, waiting for any comment.

"So you're saying that we're going to be developing a weapon, with no real use."

Now she forced herself to look at Scott. His forehead was furrowed in puzzlement as he tried to work it out.

"Not a use as you would think of one."

"So what's the purpose of it?"

"To defend a group of civilians and military personnel."

"Against what?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Will you ever be able to?" Vikki entered her first comment.

"I don't know, but I wouldn't count on it."

"We're definitely not going to be killing people or animals right?"

"No humans, animals, or vegetation."

"So it's a weapon, with a gas, that needs 'diluting' so it won't kill anything, completely harmless to humans, but the Air Force needs us to come up with the right formula?"

"Pretty much, yes."

"Oh, ok. Makes more sense now..." Scott trailed off, deep in thought.

"You guys can still back out. You aren't bound to any contract and neither am I."

"No. I want to see where this goes. You've got me Sam."

"Thanks Scott."

"When do we start?"

"Thanks Vikki. You have no idea how much it means to you that you're willing to do this with me."

"I have one last question."

"Shoot."

"You know more about this than we do, don't you?"

"About the project?" Sam was stalling, she had not been told not to say how much information she knew, she had only been told not to discuss it.

"Whatever this whole thing is. You know where it's going to be used and on what."

"I was in the Air Force for some time."

"Do you know?"

"I have an idea, but nothing has been confirmed."

"Ok." Sam could read Scott like a book. He was not satisfied with her answer, and knew there was more under the surface than she was letting on. She would have to be careful about what she said or hinted at.


	11. Chapter 11

_AN: This chapter contains spoilers for Ex Deus Machina._

The project was coming along as smoothly as expected. They had run into a few dead ends in trying to dilute the gas, but Sam felt they were making great progress. Once a week Major Davis stopped by to give her updates, and she did the same to him, passing him information on how things were going to take back to his superiors. He had been scheduled to arrive that morning, but hadn't shown up. Sam hadn't noticed until after Scott and Vikki returned from lunch. She continued her notes, keeping one eye nervously on the door. About 3pm, another airman joined the one already outside her door. She watched as they talked in hushed tones, and the one on guard opened the door for the other.

"Dr Carter?"

"Yes."

"I need you to come with me."

"Where are you taking her?"

"I can't disclose that information, Sir. Ma'am do you need anything from your office."

"No."

"Sam, where are you going?"

"Ma'am we must leave immediately."

"Vikki, don't worry, I know these people."

"Sam, you need me to call anyone?"

"No Scott, thanks for the concern." She turned to the airman. " How long am I expected to be gone?"

"I do not know Ma'am. We must leave right now. Do you have everything you need?"

"Yes. Scott, Vikki, as soon as I can, I'll call you. Don't worry, and don't tell anyone what happened. Remember the agreement."

With that she left the lab, the two remaining, staring at the door, and the man still guarding it.

Sam climbed in the helicopter and watched as it took off, leaving the airman behind. Now what was going on? They flew for just under half an hour, landing at the Pentagon. Sam was escorted down the many hallways into a secure room, with only a desk and a computer inside. She asked her escort what was going on but he couldn't tell her.

"Ma'am, my orders were to bring you here, and instruct you to use the computer."

Sam took a look at the computer, noticing the speakers and web-cam immediately. The airman let himself out and shut the door. Through the peephole she could see him standing guard, but didn't worry, as she knew these rooms were soundproof. She sat in front of the computer and turned the monitor on. Instantly she saw Daniel's face.

"Daniel. What's going on?"

"Sorry about the secrecy Sam, but we need your help. Is the gas anywhere close to being ready?"

"No. Still a ways off. Why?"

"Ba'al."

"I'm sorry, the connection must be bad. I could've sworn you just said Ba'al."

"I did."

"He's still around!"

"Yes. Hang on a sec."

Sam watched as Daniel's face left her monitor to be replaced with a man she didn't know.

"Dr Carter, I'm General Landry, currently in command at the SGC."

"Uh, hi General. What's going on?"

"You've been granted a higher security and this conversation will be recorded, and kept, until you sign the new confidentiality agreement."

"I won't say a word."

"I know you won't. Here's Dr. Jackson again."

During the shuffling of people, Sam could see two other faces in the background. A woman with long dark hair, and a younger man, definitely Air Force.

"Daniel. Where's Ba'al? What is he doing alive?"

"When Anubis was defeated, the system lords fell into disarray. Most of the major players were killed but Ba'al survived. We've been hunting him for the past few years, along with any others that rise up in power. Today we received this."

Sam watched as a face she knew and despised appeared on the monitor. The voice was human, not goa'uld, and it was stating that he wished to live on Earth and abide by their rules. In return, he wanted to be left alone. He added at the end, to ensure their compliance, he had placed a naquadah bomb somewhere in the U.S. and would detonate it, if there were any attempts to find or capture him. As the recording ended, Daniels face popped back onto her screen.

"How long has he been here?"

"We don't know. He could've just arrived recently, or been here for a few years. There's no way to tell right now."

"Any idea where he is?"

"Yes, we have a news report to go on right now. We've got another problem though."

"What."

"Teal'c returned and has informed us that Garek, the leader of the Free Jaffa intends to capture Ba'al at any cost. There has already been one attempt."

"Here on Earth?"

"Yes."

"Damn. So now what?"

"We were hoping that the gas was ready for use, as we don't want to kill any of Garek's Jaffa. That would likely start a war between us. How close are you?"

"Not close. At the earliest, another few weeks."

"General?"

Daniel moved from his chair to speak to the General. Sam could not hear what was being said, but watched the facial expressions of both. Daniel was making a point he felt strongly about, while the General seemed to be listening and possibly agreeing.

"Sam, I want you to come to the SGC and help us find the bomb. We need everyone we can use."

"Sure. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Wait a sec... Walter?"

"Yes Dr. Jackson?"

"Tell Prometheus to go ahead..."

"Daniel, what are you..." Sam was surrounded by a bright light and when it disappeared, she was in the control room at the SGC. "..doing?"

"Asgard beaming technology installed on the Prometheus. Comes in handy."

"Dr. Jackson, fill her in later. I want this bomb found."

"Yes General. Sam, follow me."

Daniel led Sam up to the briefing room, and Sam noticed that the woman and man were following. The table on the briefing room held a large map of the continental US with different coloured stickers in several locations.

"What's this?"

"Dr. Carter, this is were members of the military are searching. Black for completed search, green for current search, and red for areas we think need to be searched."

"It's Sam."

"Colonel Mitchel."

"What about Teal'c?"

"He's trying to get Garek to disclose the location of the Jaffa on Earth." Mitchel jumped in before Daniel could speak.

"Agent Barrett is currently trying to apprehend Ba'al..."

Daniel was interrupted by General Landry entering the room.

"We've just had word of this."

He turned on the TV in the room to reveal Ba'al on a live interview.

"How did he get there?"

"We don't know. Agent Barrett's recovery of the Ba'al that was spotted at the hotel has been aborted. It seems that he's in two places at once."

"That's impossible, even for a goa'uld!" Sam turned to the woman who had remained silent until now.

"Wait, turn it up."

Sam turned the TV up at Daniel's request and listened as Ba'al gave out the location of the bomb, in downtown Seattle.

"Can Prometheus beam us there?"

"Yes. I'll have Walter contact them immediately."

Sam, Daniel and Colonel Mitchel followed Landry back down to the control room. An SF brought three vests and two weapons. Sam automatically reached for one.

"Sorry Ma'am, these are for Dr. Jackson and Colonel Mitchel."

Sam felt like hanging her head at her stupidity. She hadn't fired a weapon since she had left and was astonished at the ease in which she reached for one again. Before she had time to think about it, a piece of equipment was shoved into her hands and a bright light engulfed them once again.

She was standing in the tower where the bomb was. Looking down at the object in her hands, she was relieved to see that she knew how it worked. Turning it on, she started to scan for traces of Naquadah in the building. It didn't seem to matter where she walked, the meter kept indicating Naquadah, leading her to believe it was everywhere. Radioing Daniel she told him her suspicions. The building was laced through and through with the stuff. There was no way to stop this bomb. Meeting with Colonel Mitchel, Daniel and many others she didn't recognize, they discussed their options quickly. An idea struck her.

"Colonel Mitchel. Is this area evacuated?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Who is she?" She heard the unknown voice from behind her.

"This is Dr. Carter, formerly Colonel Carter of the SGC. What do you have Sam?"

"Daniel, could Prometheus beam this entire building off the planet?"

"I don't know. Get the SGC, we'll find out."

After a few frantic minutes, the Prometheus agreed to try. They evacuated the building with not a moment to spare, as Sam watched the entire structure disappear before her eyes. Moments later, a bright flash of light was visible far away into space.

Back at the SGC, Daniel thanked Sam for helping them out. He hoped that her sudden disappearance wouldn't alarm anyone back home. She borrowed the phone in his lab and made a quick phone call to Scott, who was probably home by now. When Vikki answered, she told her she was ok, she would be back soon, and she promised to call once she had arrived home. Laughing she hung up.

"Scott?"

"No, Vikki. I guess Scott was freaked out when I left suddenly and had started to panic."

"That's what friends are for."

"It's just funny as Vikki is usually the one to be pessimistic and worry, where as Scott is always rational, and takes the time to find the reasonable explanation. In this case it was the opposite."

"Well, I'm glad you have friends that care about you."

"Me too. Daniel, how am I going to get home?"

"I think we can arrange it."

"What about the room with the guard?"

"Don't worry about that. Landry will take care of him."

"How is General Landry?"

"Different."

"In what way?"

"Not a bad way. I was used to General Hammond, and Jack. General Landry doesn't have the same sense of humour as Jack did, and isn't as lenient as Hammond."

"He seems to know what he's doing. What about that woman?"

Daniel sighed and gave her a brief overview of Vala. He wasn't sure how much clearance Sam had been given, but he knew that anything he told her would go no further. Besides, she was already on the base, and now she knew about Ba'al on Earth. He was finishing as General Landry entered the office.

"General."

"At ease Dr. Carter." Landry chuckled. Despite the fact she'd been out of the Air Force for several years, old habits were hard to break.

"General, what can we do for you?"

"Actually Daniel, I wanted to than Dr. Carter for assisting us today. It's great to meet the person I've heard so much about." Hank extended his hand, and Sam shook it.

"Sir, it's Sam. Pleasure to meet you."

"I just need you to sign a new confidentiality agreement and then we can get you home." Hank placed a folder in front of her. Knowing what was inside, she grabbed a pen and signed without reading.

"I remember the rules. I doubt they've changed, Sir." She commented as he raised his eyebrows. "Not meaning any disrespect."

"None taken. You have been granted a temporary higher security clearance based on recommendations from the President. You will be notified when the level returns to what it was earlier today."

"Thank you, Sir."

"Now, unless there's anything else you need to do, the Prometheus is waiting to transport you home."

Sam gave Daniel a hug goodbye and followed General Landry to the Gateroom.

* * *

Sinking into her couch, she reflected on her day. She had to admit that she had enjoyed being back at the SGC, just for the few hours she was there. It had changed, but was basically the same. There were many new people that she hadn't recognized, and it hadn't felt as bad as she thought it would be. Maybe going back wouldn't be such a bad thing. She picked up the phone and dialed Scott's house to let him know she was home, and safe._AN: I don't know where this came from! It just jumped out of my fingers so quick I couldn't stop it. Hopefully there aren't too many errors from the episode as I haven't seen it in a while. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!_


	12. Chapter 12

The final report from the SGC arrived on his desk while he was out for lunch. Spotting it immediately he opened the sealed envelope and skimmed over the report. Seems Carter's pulled it off again, he thought. About to pick up his phone, he almost jumped when it rang under his hand. It was Landry, asking if he'd received the report. The two men discussed the contents briefly, until Landry moved onto another subject.

"Jack, we need her here."

"Who?"

"You know who. The main reason that report is on your desk, that's who."

"Ok. You want her there full time, or just working out of her lab?"

"I'd prefer the here and full time option."

"Alright, go for it."

"Jack, you know the rules for hiring civilians here. I can't just call her up and ask her to move."

Jack suppressed a sigh and listened to Hank talk. He wanted the team that worked on the gas project to help with the delivery process. In Jack's mind, he knew that the best person to have working on this, was Carter.

* * *

Sam listened to Major Davis as he explained the offer. She had several options available to her, and could chose whichever one she wanted. She asked him if they needed an answer right away as she wanted to go home and think it over, not make the decision after a few minutes. He would return the following day. 

She ate her supper, cleaned the dishes, tidied her apartment and sat down on the couch, pen and paper ready. She read through the options that she had been given and tried to figure out which one she would choose.

The first option they had offered, was to quit her job completely, return to the SGC, and work as a civilian scientist. She remembered the thrill of examining and testing unique alien devices and her current job paled in the department of items that made her heart race. She knew that if she returned, she would never be bored as there was always something new to deal with. Could she return? It had been great to go back, even for a few hours, but she enjoyed the regular hours, days off, and the lower stress levels that her current job offered.

The second option the Air Force had offered, was to stay with the company she worked for, but work at the SGC temporarily on this project. It would require moving until it was finished, but she would be able to return eventually. This plan didn't sit well with her. She had been used to the secrecy involved in working under Cheyenne Mountain, but now, enjoyed the relative freedom to discuss her work with her colleagues. Not just that, disappearing for an unknown amount of time, and then returning. She had a life that she enjoyed and for the first time, felt secure. What if she was gone for more than a year? She wouldn't be able to start back at work without an overwhelming amount of prying, and curious people, asking untold amounts of questions she could never answer. Did she want to go back to living half of her life she wouldn't be able to discuss with anyone?

There was another option, that wasn't on the paper. She could say no, and walk away. That option had only just popped into her head. She could decline both offers, forget they had ever asked her, and continue her life, void of the SGC. It was tempting, she had to admit. While her life in the past few years had taken many twists and turns, she was happy. She wasn't in mortal danger continually, and her biggest fear was tripping while running and breaking an ankle or leg. She had been relieved not to add more secrets into her life on a daily basis, and was exploring a new, single Sam, outside the strict rules of the military. She liked being Dr. Samantha Carter.

She sighed and threw the notepad, filled with pro's and con's, onto her coffee table. Getting up to refill her empty water glass, she glanced at the pictures Daniel had been looking at. Her heart tugged at the sight of the friends she had left behind. True, now Daniel had returned, they were talking, and he had promised to visit as soon as he had some time off, but it wasn't the same. Being at the SGC she would be able to see friends and acquaintances that were not from this world.

She ran her fingers over the familiar faces of her old team, her mind drifting back to the team nights, the many moments of laughter, the overwhelming sense of security, she used to feel, that she would never be alone, as long as she had them. An unbidden tear escaped and she wiped it away with the back of her hand. Her eyes focused on one of the few pictures she had of his face. It had been taken by Janet at a night out. All four faces smiled at the camera, his arm slung over her shoulder, Daniel's arm around her waist, and Teal'c standing behind her, in the center.

Jack. Could she work with him again? They had both changed, and if the last meeting was anything to go by, no longer close friends. She wished that he had stayed in contact, as he had been a friend, almost family, a part of her life. Why had he chosen not to? Why hadn't she tried harder to reach him? She knew the most likely reason that he had pushed her away. She'd married Pete. Years ago, she had wondered if there was anything more than friendship between them. The regulations prevented her from asking and finding out. If he had felt anything for her, by marrying Pete, she would've hurt him in the worst way possible.

She turned away from the pictures of her old life, and grabbed the water from the fridge. Taking a large mouthful of cold water, she pushed Jack into deepest cranny of her brain. Whether or not there had been anything, that should not be a factor in her decision. After Pete betrayed her, she was not interested in any relationships. She had been on several dates, but had stopped dating after the third or fourth guy. Being hurt by Pete, and loosing two children, had changed her. She couldn't stir up the interest for another commitment. She still wanted a child, but after the miscarriages, had been considering adopting. She wasn't ready to go out and start adoption proceedings now, but someday, when she felt ready, she would look into it further. Sitting back on the couch, she refocused her mind on Major Davis' offer.

It was late before she went to bed. She had tried calling Daniel, leaving several messages, but he had yet to call back. She had really wanted to talk to a friend, someone to bounce her thoughts off. She had stayed up, knowing that she wouldn't be able to sleep without making a choice. Now she had, she realised how tired she was. Turning off the living room light, preparing for bed, and curling up under the sheets, she felt satisfied with her decision, and drifted off to sleep quickly.

_AN: Just wanted to clear a few things up and apologize for some errors. I didn't give Sam a weapon in the last chapter as I wasn't sure if they would give her one, as she wasn't a memeber of the SGC. Same with the temporary higher clearence. If these were the errors, I'm sorry, and thanks for correcting me. I also didn't mention at the beginning of the story that even though this is happening several years after the events of season 9, some of the episode plots may be pulled in to this story. Once again, I'm sorry for any confusion and errors, but please keep correcting me, as I don't want the story to be too unrealistic._


	13. Chapter 13

Scott and Vikki had known something was wrong when Sam had invited them over for another dinner. The gas project had been completed, and they all had a week off. Sam had stayed away from the lab, claiming she had some things to deal with, and would talk to them later in the week. On the last day before they returned to work, she had called and requested they come over for another meal. Scott was dying of curiosity, while Vikki was concerned.

"Sam, dinner was great."

"Thanks Vikki."

"Yeah, good grub. Now let's talk."

"Scott, let her take her time."

"What makes you think I wanted to talk to you guys?"

"I just remember last time. What's going on now?"

Sam grinned at Scott's enthusiasm, and wondered how long it would last.

"We have another offer of a project."

"Doing what?"

"Once again you have to sign confidentiality agreements."

Scott grabbed one and turned to the last page. Sam stopped him as he was hunting for a pen.

"Wait. This one's a little more involved than the last one."

"How much more involved?"

"I'll be moving."

"Where?" Vikki looked upset.

"To Colorado Springs."

"What's there that they need you for?"

"NORAD." Scott spoke calmly, a contrast to Vikki's obvious distress.

"Good guess."

"Am I right?"

"I can't tell you."

"If I sign this, will you let us in on your secret?"

"Listen to me for a few minutes. I need you to understand what you could be getting yourselves into. I will be moving to work on a project for the government. They need a delivery system for the gas we've been working on, and I've been offered the job. I accepted several days ago, and I will be leaving in two days. For now, it's a permanent position. When this project is completed, they will assign me another. When I was in the Air Force I worked at the base I'm going to. It is unlike any other base on Earth, and I will never run out of new things to work on. I can't explain any details now, even if you do sign the agreements."

"So, we'd have to move too?"

"That's up to you. If you choose to move, there are positions for you on my team at the base. If you don't wish to move, you'll work here, out of the labs, still on my team. When this project is finished, a decision will be made on whether or not to continue your contracts."

"If we moved, would we have to quit our jobs?"

"Yes."

"Why are you going?"

"I've decided to go. I can't tell you more than that."

Sam watched as Scott paced around her living room.

"You don't have to decide now, but I will need a decision in two days. I suggest you take the time and talk it over."

"Will we see you if you're working on the other side of the country?"

"Yes. I'll have to make the occasional trip, and we'll be talking frequently about the project."

"Why the agreement?"

"You will have to understand the set up of the base in order to assist me on this one. As it's a top secret military base, you will not be allowed to share this information with anyone."

Sam tried to answer some of their questions, and felt sympathy for the difficult decision they had to make. She had had an advantage, already knowing what went on inside Cheyenne Mountain, and understanding the risks. If Vikki and Scott stayed here, they wouldn't have to worry about risks, but on the base, anything could happen.

* * *

It was late again before she got to bed, as now she was apprehensive about what choice they would make. Closing her eyes, and forcing her mind to clear, she tried to fall asleep. She knew she was drowsy and close to sleeping when the phone rang shrilly beside her bed.

"Hello."

"Did I wake you?"

"No. Not yet."

"Sam?"

"Daniel, what do you want?"

"Sorry. Didn't think you'd be in bed yet."

"Daniel, remember there's a time zone difference. What's up?"

"Just got home, heard your message and thought I'd call. Go back to sleep. I'll call you tomorrow."

"That's ok. I wasn't sleeping."

"You sure?"

"Don't worry about it."

"What's going on?"

"I've accepted an offer to work at the SGC."

"Really! That's great. When are you moving?"

"Two days from now. Wanna help me move?"

"Sure. I've got four days off. You need help packing?"

"Ugh, don't remind me. I haven't started yet."

"I'll get on the first plane I can."

"Daniel, you don't have to do that."

"You're right. I don't have to, but I want to. Go back to sleep. I'll call you in the morning, let you know when to expect me."

"Thanks Daniel."

"I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Sam hung up the phone and rolled over. With Daniel helping her move, it wouldn't be as stressful as she had been anticipating. She fell asleep, thankful for his kind offer.

* * *

Sam thanked the last of the movers as they left her new apartment, and looked around at the pile of boxes now covering her small home. She hadn't had much time to look at houses, and had found a small apartment to rent, until she found something more permanent.

She heard a crashing sound, followed by several swears. Daniel hobbled out muttering something about a box with a hole in it. Sam laughed and gave him a big hug. She had no idea how she would've moved this quickly without his help. Daniel stopped swearing, and held her close. He was thrilled she had returned to Colorado Springs, and waited for the first day back at work. She had another day to unpack before she was to report to the General. Rolling up his sleeves, Daniel started to move boxes, Sam following him closely to make sure he didn't drop anything. With the two of them working for the rest of the day, and most of the following morning, the apartment looked ready to be called a home.

She had sold her car as she knew it wouldn't have made the trip to Colorado, and needed to go out and buy a new one. She sent Daniel home for some rest, and found herself a second hand car that would be perfect for the time being. She just wanted something cheap to get her to and from the mountain until the sale of her old place was finalized. Then she could get something a little more expensive. She grinned to herself, thinking about spending her money. She'd been careful on how much she'd spent since the divorce, and wasn't sure why. An inexpensive apartment, a cheap car, and no vacations. Now she wanted to use her savings, and enjoy what she had. Who knew what would happen after tomorrow.

She woke early, before her alarm, nerves buzzing. She sat in the kitchen, holding a coffee in her hands, watching the clock slowly tick the hour by. Today Daniel was driving her to the base and he wouldn't be here for a while. Contemplating going for a quick run, she moved towards her bedroom, as the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Sam?"

"Vikki? How are you?"

"Good. Calling to let you know we've made a decision."

"Ok. Did you call the contact I gave you?"

"Yes. We just got off the phone with him. He's meeting us at the lab today."

"I take it that you're signing up?"

"Yes."

"What's wrong? You don't sound too happy."

"I'm just wary about this whole secrecy thing. Scott is almost bouncing off the walls with excitement, but I'm not too sure."

"Don't sign anything until you're sure. I won't hold it against you if you choose not to work on this."

"If I don't, how are me and Scott going to be able to live our lives without being able to talk to each other?"

"Oh, Vikki."

"How can you keep something from someone forever."

"You don't discuss it. No matter what."

"Can I ask a question about your ex?"

"How did I keep the secrets from him while we were married?"

"Yes."

"He knew some of the details."

"You told him?"

"No. Well yes, but I had permission to do so, and he signed an agreement too."

"So you could talk about it?"

"No. He only knew what I did at that point in time. When situations changed, I couldn't tell him any new information."

"How did he deal with that?"

"Not very well. He was curious about what was going on, always wanting to be kept in the loop. Once I left the base, he stopped asking, as I didn't have clearance anymore."

"Oh. What would've happened if you had said something to him without permission."

"Court martial. Wouldn't have been a good outcome. But I was an officer at the time. Civilians, they can be charged, and also face severe punishment."

"So if Scott agrees, and I don't, he can never share the information with me."

"Yes."

"And if he does?"

"You don't want to know."

"Ok."

"You sure?"

"Yes. I've just got some more thinking to do."

"Remember, don't agree to this unless you're sure. You won't be able to back out of it."

"How's the new place?"

Vikki changed the subject and Sam knew the previous conversation was over. She talked about the area, her new place, car, and what kind of house she wanted to buy. When Vikki asked about her old co-workers, and how it would be to see them again, Sam glanced at the clock. Where had the time gone? She explained to Vikki that she had to get going and ended the call without answering her last question. In the shower, she contemplated it though. She knew that the ones like Daniel and Teal'c would be great to work with. There were many new people she didn't know, so that would make things a little easier. What was General Landry like to work with? As she turned off the shower, one more thought raised goosebumps on her skin. How often would she see Jack, and how would he be to work with?

_AN: I don't know much about cars so I need some help. What kind of car do you think Sam would buy. I'm not thinking new sports car, or trucks... something unique. _


	14. Chapter 14

The time flew by for Sam, as she was kept very busy. She had picked up one more project since her arrival, and was assisting one of the other scientists do a study on an artifact brought from another planet. She was surprised to find that she didn't slip back into old habits. Daniel had stopped by her lab in the evening to see if she was ready to go, for the first few days, then after she beat him home for almost a week straight, he stopped. She spent her evenings running, organizing her apartment, looking at potential houses and hanging out with friends. Teal'c had visited the SGC several days after her first day, and Sam spent several days with him and Daniel on base, talking.

She had found many new friends among all the people who worked at the base, civilian and military alike. She had liked Carolyn Lam's dry humour the first time they met, and was surprised to learn who her father was. Sam agreed with Daniel on General Landry. He didn't have the patience of Hammond, or the humour of O'Neill, but everyone seemed to enjoy working under him. Dr. Lee was still in the same lab, now only several rooms from hers. He was the one she was currently assisting, as he still looked to her for help, which she found slightly flattering. It hadn't taken long for her to find her own niche as a civilian scientist, as opposed to her old position, a high ranking female military officer, and scientist.

She had been nervous about returning, and was glad that Daniel had driven her that first morning. She'd had a short meeting with General Landry, and an airman showed her where her new lab was located. She was on the same floor, one above her old one, as the other non-military scientists in the base. Daniel's lab was several rooms away and always made a point to stop by frequently, usually with some coffee for her. After several days, the feeling of apprehension dissipated. She felt like she had finally come home.

The teams had changed as personnel left or died. SG-1 still existed, but none of the original members were on it. Daniel had told Sam that while he was in Atlantis, Cam had tried recruiting him back to the team. He had also gone to visit Teal'c with the intention of pulling the original team back together, with no luck. Now there was only three members, with Cam leading one scientist, and a Major.

Sam had liked Cam the instant she met him. His humour was off beat, and he quoted his grandmother far too often, but there was something about him that made you like him. He had shared his frustration with Sam about the issues with his team. He had arrived at the SGC five years ago, to find that he was the only member of the famous SG-1. He had tried to recruit Teal'c and Daniel with little hope that they would join him. After that he had interviewed countless people and offered several positions. He was continually changing the members, and due to that, couldn't get a 'team' feeling with the groups. One had been killed, but most had quit, or requested a transfer. Cam complained that even though they were still hunting goa'uld, there wasn't the action he had read in the reports of the previous eight years. Sam thought that might be the reason that several of the civilian members had quit. Perhaps Cam's enthusiasm was a little too much to bear.

Sam met Vala in Daniel's lab, and found the interaction between the two of them hilarious. No wonder Cam tried to get them at each others throats continually. Vala was a woman who knew what she wanted, and wouldn't let anything get in her way. One evening in the commissary they had started talking, and Vala had shared some of her experiences as a goa'uld host. Even though Sam's own experience with a Tok'ra was different, she could understand Vala's feelings of helplessness at being completely out of control. After Sam told her of her background with Jolinar, Vala's somewhat aloof attitude disappeared.

Daniel had shown up as Vala was venting her frustration at not being allowed to explore Earth, and had told Sam later that he was glad Vala had found someone else to talk to. He explained the reason she was here, and that he hadn't done much of the translation on the tablet she had brought. Sam teased him about procrastinating on the translation so she could stay on Earth longer, and laughed when Daniel stopped walking to stare at her, mouth open, trying to think of a comeback.

She kept in contact with Vikki and Scott, and was pleased with the progress they were making. They were working on a delivery system for the SGC for the gas and had run into some problems. The gas was much heavier than air, and when vented into the test rooms, immediately sank to the floor. While still effective, it would take longer to render the enemy unconscious. Another problem they had run into, was that as the base was built underground, it would be difficult to build a new network of pipes behind the walls to carry the gas. The 'higher ups' had decided they wanted to do this with as little construction possible, and it was proving to be quite the task.

Sam had to provide several floor layouts of the base to Scott and Vikki and had received several questions regarding the use, and strange layout of some of the rooms. As they didn't have the clearance to know about the gate, Sam had not been able to explain much. She pretty much steered clear of the subject whenever it came up. She was hoping that someday she could show them what their hard work had been for.

Sam had to fly out and visit the lab at least once a month, unless something unexpected happened. She had made one trip so far, and was impressed at the way Vikki and Scott worked together. She hoped that once this project was completed, there would be a chance to bring them to the SGC and work as a team once more.

* * *

She was sitting in her lab, rechecking her notes from the day before, when Daniel strolled in to her lab.

"Morning Daniel."

"Hey."

"What's the plan for the day?"

"I finished the translation on the tablet that Vala brought."

"And?"

"I checked the name of the person who 'signed' the tablet with the names of the ancients who returned to Earth from Atlantis."

"Find a match?"

"Yes."

"Well, spit it out."

"The name on the tablet was Myrddin. One version of that name here on Earth is Merlin."

"Merlin... you mean, like Merlin the wizard, the Merlin with Arthur, sword in the stone? That Merlin?"

"It's a possibility."

"How did you come up with that idea?"

"Think about it. Legend says that he was a man of magical powers. The powers he had as an ancient would seem like magic to the people living in those times."

"Daniel, it's a bit of a stretch don't you think?"

"But it could lead us to many discoveries about the legend. Think of what we could find!"

Sam wanted to cut Daniel off before he went on one of his never ending speeches about how legends always had some basis in truth, and then he would branch off into many other areas.

"Did you talk to Landry?"

"Briefly."

"What did he say?"

"He wants to know where this 'treasure' is hidden."

"Treasure?"

"According to Vala the tablet will lead us to untold wealth."

"Where is Vala?"

"She's locked in her room."

"Why?"

"The tablet came with two gold strips, definitely goa'uld. When I picked them up to look at them, she tried to attach one to me."

"Attach one?"

"Yeah, like those old bracelets from the 80's where you slap them onto your wrist. I moved before she got one on me, and now she's locked up in her room, until Landry talks to her."

"When's Teal'c due back?"

"Tomorrow. I'm going to ask him to have a look at them, see if he knows what they are."

"So, back to the tablet. Does it tell you where the treasure is?"

"Not directly, but I have an idea."

"Great. Where do you think it is?"

"I've got to do a little research on the Arthur and Merlin legend first, but I have a briefing with Landry tomorrow."

"Just you and Landry?"

"No, Mitchel is going to be there too."

"Colonel Mitchel? Why?"

"The remaining two members of his team are in the infirmary with a bad case of the flu. He's got nothing to do right now, so if I can figure out where this tablet is referring to, he'll join me and possibly Teal'c in finding it."

"Oh."

Sam suddenly felt like the outsider for the first time since she had arrived at the SGC. A wave of nostalgia swept over her as she remembered the excitement of going to places unknown to find whatever they could imagine. Daniel didn't notice her mood change, and continued on with what he was planning to do if he found the place. Sam shook herself and smiled politely as she tried to get back into the conversation. Her phone rang, and when she answered and started talking to Scott, Daniel left.

Jack O'Neill drove towards the base, trying not to speed. It was a perfect sunny day for fishing, but he was going to see Daniel. Hank had called him yesterday and updated him on the translation of a tablet that the new girl had brought with her. Apparently whatever this thing was referring to, was here, on Earth. He had offered to come so he could hear the briefing in person, and a chance to see Teal'c, who would be arriving that morning.

After going through security, he swung his rental car into one of the few available parking spots, cursing the one driver of a wide truck who obviously couldn't park. As he maneuvered into the space carefully, he knocked the car on the other side lightly. He hated these luxury style cars with the ridiculously long hoods, but it had been the only style available. Opening the door cautiously, he climbed out, and checked the car he had hit. It was an older car, a 68 Mustang he guessed, but looked in good condition. He ran his hand down the drivers door to check he hadn't dented it, or removed any paint. Once done, he admired the vehicle. The paint job was new, a royal blue, but the interior needed some work. He wondered how she ran, and his hands itched to take a look under the hood. Wondering who could own that car, he walked the short distance to the entrance of the mountain.

_AN: Hopefully there'll be one more chapter before Christmas. Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter. I did consider Sam driving an hybrid or electric car, but when AT Fan suggested a classic Mustang, it just seemed like the perfect car. _


	15. Chapter 15

Sam waited for the elevator, which was taking forever to come up to her floor. She needed to get a phone number and had left it in her car, or she hoped that was where it was. One of the scientists working in a few labs down from Vikki and Scott had disappeared a week ago, without a trace. His assistant had called the police when he hadn't shown up for work the next day, and they had gone to his house. Nothing had been disturbed, but a suitcase and several suits had gone. The police assumed the man had taken a vacation or had run away. Nothing had been missing from the lab, so they weren't going to pursue this man unless something else came up.

Sam had been curious when Vikki had mentioned it. She knew this man well, and while he didn't have a family, he wouldn't do something impulsive like this. She had called Vikki last night to get the phone number of the assistant, who was taking some time off until the scientist returned. She was going to call her on her break, and ask her some questions.

Exiting the elevator on the ground floor, she walked through the tunnel to the parking lot, thinking on what to ask on her phone call. At her car, she glared at the new, luxury car parked a little too close. She had bought the Mustang a little over 3 weeks ago, and had it repainted less than a week ago. She had been intending on buying a new car, possibly one of those new hybrids out now, but spotted this in the newspaper, and immediately fell in love with it. It needed some work, and the interior was a mess, but it had been love at first sight.

Opening the drivers side door, she noticed a mark on the body. She grabbed the phone number out of her car, slammed the door, and ran her hands over the mark. Fortunately the mark was just from the asshole next to her, probably his bumper. She wanted to leave a note under the wipers, but not knowing who the car belonged to, she decided not to. Instead she wrote the license plate down, and headed back to her lab, pissed off.

Walking towards her lab, she noticed the door to Daniel's was open. She knocked and started speaking as she opened the door.

"Daniel, some asshole hit me in the parking lot!" Sam walked straight to his desk and dropped the folder of papers she had grabbed from her car.

"Are you ok?"

"Not me. The car. Fortunately for them, the mark rubbed off, and they didn't do any permanent damage."

"Carter."

She swore her heart stopped beating for a few seconds, as she turned around to see if the voice was really his. He was sitting in Daniel's chair, behind the door, so she hadn't seen him when she opened it. Fighting the urge to salute him, she nodded at him, before turning to face Daniel again.

"Well that's good. Who was it?"

"I don't know, some jackass driving a rental car."

"What colour, Carter?"

"Silver." She turned slightly to answer him, so as not to appear too rude.

"You drive a Mustang?"

"That was you?"

"Yeah, sorry about that. I did check to make sure there was no damage, but I guess I missed a spot."

His voice was cold and hard, and Sam felt uncomfortable being in the room with him. She grabbed her stuff, said a quiet goodbye to Daniel, and left for her own lab. Once there, she shut the door, and leaned back on it. No wonder he was so cold to her, as she had called him an asshole and a jackass in less than two minutes. Why was he here and how long was he staying? She sat down, and grabbed the phone. She needed to get her mind him, and dialled Vikki at work.

* * *

"Jack, what's with you two?" 

"What d'ya mean?"

"Don't play stupid. You're acting like, well, like two people who broke up."

"Broke up! As in.. never mind."

"Yes. Like a couple that broke up, seeing each other for the first time in a while."

"What! We were never a couple, Daniel. Don't start any more rumours."

"No, I'm saying that's what you're acting like. Why were you so cold to Sam?"

"I wasn't."

"Yes you were."

"Daniel."

"Jack."

"I wasn't expecting to see her."

"You were going to run into her at some point, or were you planning on avioding her everytime you came to the base?"

"No. Just wasn't expecting to see her right away."

"Why? You were once friends."

"Once, we were. Things change Daniel."

"They do, but you can change things again, if they're worth it."

"Look, Daniel. She's been gone for years. People change. She's changed, I've changed. That's just the way it is."

"So you're saying she isn't worth it?"

"I'm not saying that. I'm saying we're both different. She married Pete. She moved away. I've moved on. That's it."

Daniel knew that Jack was as close to admitting his old feelings for Sam, as he ever would be. He knew that when Sam married Pete, Jack felt angry at himself for not saying anything sooner. Did he blame Sam when she got married and moved away? He couldn't be sure, but doubted it. Jack wasn't the kind of person to blame someone else when they were happy. Daniel shook his head and listened to Jack, who had changed the subject.

"So you think this 'treasure' is in England?"

"Yes."

"And you think you know the location?"

"Yes."

"What do you think is there?"

"Well, with the Ancients, who knows. Merlin was the one who hid it, so maybe technology? I don't think it's like Vala thinks, gold and such. I doubt it."

"How is Vala?" Jack grinned as he asked. For some reason, Vala had attached herself to Daniel, and it amused him to no end watching the two interact.

"Still in her room. Teal'c's heading down here as soon as he arrives and we're going to look at the bracelets, try and figure out what they are. When are you heading back?"

"Tonight. You're stuck with me all day Danny."

"Oh goody." Daniel rolled his eyes at Jack jokingly as the door opened.

"Teal'c. How are ya doin?"

"I am well O'Neill."

"Teal'c, you're early."

"The council declined to meet today, so I took the opportunity to arrive early."

"Teal'c, Vala tried to use these on me."

Daniel handed one of the bracelets to Teal'c, who inspected it carefully.

"They are called kor mak. I have not seen them before, but I believe it was Coronus who used this technology when a prisoner of value needed to be transported by one of his Jaffa. He would affix a bracelet to both the prisoner and the Jaffa responsible for him."

"Why?"

"If they became separated for more than a short period of time, they would both become ill and die."

"Does Vala know this?" Jack was curious at why Vala would use such a device if she could die, and if she did know, there was no way they were letting her out of her room.

"I don't think she would. Knowing her, she probably stole them."

"Daniel, you think Vala stole them?"

"Likely. Probably the tablet too."

"So what would've happened if she had managed to get these things on Daniel and herself, Teal'c?"

"If they did not remain in close proximity with each other, they would likely die."

"How would we take them off?"

"I do not know. I would suspect that when both wearers of the bracelets died, they would unattach and could be used again."

"Smart technology. Give the Jaffa an incentive to not loose the prisoner." Jack mused out loud, as Daniel put the bracelets back in the case. "Are those going off to Area 51?"

"No. We're keeping them here for a while to have a closer look at them."

"Anyone tell Vala what they do if she doesn't already know?"

"I was going to. Want to come?"

"I will follow shortly. Cameron Mitchel has requested to talk to me and I wish to visit Samantha Carter." Teal'c bowed his head, and exited the room. Daniel grabbed the case and Jack followed him out of the lab.

* * *

Jack drove back to the airport, relieved that the day was over. As he left the SGC, it had felt like a weight on his shoulders had been lifted. He knew that having Carter at the base would mean he would run into her at some point, but he hadn't been prepared for it today. What he had said to Daniel was true. They had both changed and drifted apart. Not long after she left, he and Kerry broke up. When she told him what she was feeling, he remembered not feeling too bad about it. He did feel upset that he had hurt her, pulled her into a relationship that started off great, but as Sam's marriage got closer, he pulled away from everyone. He still heard from her, as they still had to work together to a certain extent. He had passed on his congratulations when she married a teacher not long ago. He had not tried to have any other relationships since, not wishing to hurt or mislead another woman. 

Seeing Carter in Washington had brought back the old dreams, except now he didn't hope for them to come true. When she married Pete, he had felt angry at himself for not saying something to her. He had also wondered why she was entering a lifelong relationship that was supposed to be based on trust and love, with a man who had done a background check on her, and followed her to Daniel's house, when they watching for Osiris. He had been almost disappointed in her, that she would forgive and forget so easily. Something had happened in the past few years, and the two were together no more. He felt a strange satisfaction that Pete didn't have her, and wondered what the idiot had done to drive her away.

Even though, watching her walk out of Daniels lab, flustered that he had been there, had upset him. They were friends once, and realistically, he wondered why they couldn't be again. Both of them were too damn stubborn to say anything to each other, other than the polite greeting, and how do you do's. How would a friendship work between them now? Would they be polite old acquaintances, or could they be as close as they were all those years ago. With her working as a civilian, there were no longer any regulations stopping them from finding out what could be.

Jack tried to force those thoughts out of his mind. Carter had made her choice, and he would respect that. Not only that, would she want to get to know him, even as a friend? She wasn't the only one who had been cold and distant. His mind neglected to process that she had thought he was dead all this time, and his lack of communication certainly hadn't helped.

He came to a resolution. There was no way that he could allow her to almost run from another room when he was in it. What would happen next time if it was a briefing? He needed to talk to her, and get things sorted out, so they could be in the same room together, without either of them loosing their cool. He knew the old rumours and didn't want any new ones surfacing, especially as she couldn't pull rank on anyone now. Next time he was at the base, he would make a point of talking to her, fixing whatever problem was between them.

* * *

Daniel found Sam in her lab, stuffing papers into a folder, obviously not too happy. 

"How's your day been?"

"Fine, Daniel, just fine."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"I had a good day."

"That's good."

"He left."

"Oh." Sam tried to pretend she wasn't interested, but Daniel wasn't fooled. He could see her relax and stopped moving papers violently around her desk.

"You leaving soon? I'm starving."

"Yes. Just gotta get this stuff together for tomorrow."

"You hungry?"

"Why Daniel, are you asking me out for dinner? In that case, yes, I'm hungry too." Daniel received one of Sam's ear to ear smiles, and held out his arm mockingly.

"Yes, we shall dine at the finest restaurant, with the finest food, and the finest wine, my dear. Please allow me to escort you."

Sam dissolved into giggles as Daniel bowed overzealously and bashed his hand on the door frame.

"That's ok. Pizza will do just fine."

"Nah, I'm in the mood for something else. How 'bout O'Malleys."

"Sure. Got all my stuff. Meet you there or do you need a ride?"

They arranged to meet at O'Malley's in an hour, as Daniel wanted to go home and change. As soon as Daniel mentioned that, Sam had the urge to go home and shower. They took the elevator up to the surface, and Sam headed back to her car. She carefully examined the drivers side of the car, as who knew what Jack had done while leaving. Satisfied there was no damage, she got in, turned on the engine and drove home.

At O'Malley's they were seated right away, and their orders placed quickly. It wasn't too busy for once, and except for a rowdy bunch of guys down at the pool table, fairly quiet.

"So, Sam, how was your day?"

"Great." Daniel could hear the sarcasm in her voice.

"Why? What happened?"

"I'm worried about the scientist that went missing."

"The one that works with Vikki and Scott?"

"Yeah. Andrew's not one of those guys to just up and leave. He doesn't have any family that I know of, and if anything had come up, he would've called Mary, his assistant."

"What was he working on?"

"I think he was testing some kind of disinfectant for use in hospitals. He hasn't been on it for long, and it's not something that I could see him getting into trouble over."

"What about before?"

"Er, not too sure on this one, but I remember he was working on a team of several chemists. I think it was something to do with water purification. I think that was the last one he did."

"For where?"

"Where?"

"Yeah, like if he was working on something that could expose a company of polluting water supplies, there are ways the company could deal with him."

"No, it was nothing like that. They were working on helping create a cheap method of water purification for third world countries. It wasn't a US contract, I remember that. There was a bunch of them, from all over the world working on it. They did the testing here, in the US, then it went back to Europe or something."

"Hmmm. What do you think happened?"

"Not a clue. I've just got a bad feeling about it."

"You're going back tomorrow, right?"

"Yes."

"Are you going to take a look, see what you can find?"

"Yes. I'm meeting Mary tomorrow in the afternoon. She has a key to his place so she could feed his cat while he was gone, so we're going to have another look. She knows I'm ex Air Force, and asked me once the police said they couldn't do anything."

"Let me know if you need any help. Jack could help too, if you asked him."

"Nah, that's ok. He's probably got enough on his plate right now."

"Sam, you two need to talk it over."

"Talk what over?"

"C'mon Sam. You practically ran out of my lab today. Whatever is or isn't going on between you guys needs to get sorted out. He does come to the base and you will see him. What's going to happen if the two of you end up working together in close proximity?"

"Yeah, like that will happen. General O'Neill, head of homeworld security, and Dr. Carter, a scientist in a lab, working together."

"What happens if you're both at a briefing, or a meeting, and you can't get along. You know how this place works. You two need to get this figured out before the entire population of the SGC has you back in bed with him."

"Back in bed with him!"

"You've heard the rumours, so don't try to act oblivious."

"I didn't hear that one. When did that start?"

"After the za'tarc mess."

"Like anyone will remember that. It was over 10 years ago."

"Some people never forget things like that. Don't steer away from the problem here. What I'm trying to say, is that you need to fix whatever is going on, before it blows out of proportion."

"Hey, it's not all my fault you know!"

"I had noticed that. Both of you are avoiding each other, and at some point that's not going to work anymore."

"Let me guess. You had a chat with him too." Daniel could see Sam's defenses going up every time she opened her mouth. He was going no where, like with Jack.

"Tried to. Look, I'm just trying to be a friend to both of you. I don't want to get in the middle of a huge argument over something silly. I also don't want to end up having to split my time between you two as you can't get along."

"I'm not trying to put you in the middle of anything Daniel, you're putting yourself there."

"I'm doing it to try and save a friendship between you and Jack. Remember when we were all on SG-1?"

"Yes." Sam calmed down and looked upset.

"I'm not asking for that closeness, just a little more civility."

"Fine. I'll be civil to him."

That was the best Daniel knew he was going to get out of Sam right now. His hope was that the friendship could be restored, as he knew the value of a true friend. Watching these two, who used to be so close, drift apart, and now, not want to get along, was almost painful.

"What time does your flight leave tomorrow?"

"8am."

"And you're going straight to the labs?"

"Yes."

"When are you going to be back?"

"I'm flying back Saturday afternoon, so four days."

"Well, it's getting late, and you have to be up early."

Sam stood and put on her jacket as Daniel grabbed the bill.

"How much do I owe you?"

"You get the next one."

"Sure?"

"Sure."

"Thanks Daniel."

"No problem. Just one small favour."

"What?"

"If you turn up anything remotely suspicious, call me or Jack."

"You really think we might?"

"I've learned that you never can tell what's suspicious and what's not. I'd rather be safe than sorry."

Daniel held the door for her, and walked to her car. He gave her a hug goodnight, and watched as she drove away.

_AN: Didn't think this one would be that long! As I got this out quickly, there may be one more before Christmas. Thanx to all who reviewed the last chapter. Can I hit 100 before the holiday:-) That would be an awesome Christmas surprise..._


	16. Chapter 16

Sam drove to her old workplace, apprehensive and excited. She couldn't wait to see how far Vikki and Scott had got, but was worried about Andrew, the missing scientist. Pulling into a visitor parking space, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Why was she nervous? In her years on SG-1, she'd learned that her gut feeling was usually right, and now wished it wasn't usually so accurate. She walked into the building, and checked in at the desk. The woman at the desk got on the phone and called Mary to come to the main entrance. Sam resisted the urge to pace around the entrance way, as she saw Mary hurrying towards her.

"Hey."

"Hi Dr. Carter. I've got the rest of the day off."

"My car or yours?"

"Do you mind? I can give you directions, but I don't think I can drive right now. My minds on too many other things."

"Sure. Let's go."

Sam drove to Andrew's apartment and listened to Mary talk about the past few weeks. She had not noticed any changes in his behaviour or demeanor, and was still in shock over his disappearance. So he wouldn't get fired, she had told his boss that he was at home with the flu. No one at work, besides Vikki and Scott, knew that she had called the police. When they had questioned her, they didn't suspect foul play, and she told them that everyone at work believed he was ill. As he had packed a suitcase, and there were no signs of a struggle, the officer had told Mary to contact them in seven days if he had not been seen or heard from. Mary had put that off, hoping that Sam would find some clue to where had gone. He had now been gone for nine days.

Sam wandered around the apartment looking for anything that would give her a clue as to why he had gone, and where. Neither of them knew how many different suits he owned, or how many different pairs of jeans, so they couldn't tell if he'd gone for business or pleasure. There were no dirty dishes in the kitchen, and the fridge held nothing like milk, or vegetables, that would've gone bad by now. While they walked around, the small tabby cat followed them, brushing their legs every time they stopped.

As Sam walked past the desk, the cat ran underneath, and she could hear it playing with something. She looked and saw a laptop power chord, still plugged in.

"Mary?"

"Yes."

"Did Andrew normally bring his laptop home?"

"Rarely. He liked to leave work at work. Why?"

"The power chord is here, and it's still plugged in."

"So he brought his laptop home, and forgot to take the charger with him?"

"Why would he bring his laptop home? The project he was working on wasn't one that would take him a while. Scott figured that had he been here, he would be done and on the next project by now."

"Maybe he was doing something else?"

"Maybe. Look around. Do you see any other live cables lying around?"

"Didn't really look."

"This cat keeps playing with this one, and it's got little teeth marks all over it. I'm guessing that he keeps the cables and chords out of it's reach so it won't electrocute itself."

"He does love his cat. He found her by the dumpster one night, as he took out his garbage. She was skin and bones, had a nasty infection, but he took her in anyways. This was about a week or so after you left."

"How old is she?"

"The vet guessed that Tanit is just under a year old right now."

"Tanit? Interesting name. Where did he come up with that?"

"Not a clue."

Sam's cell phone rang, and she answered it after seeing it was Daniel on the line. She excused herself and went into the kitchen to talk to him.

"Hey Daniel."

"Hi. Find anything?"

"No, not really."

"Nothing at all?"

"The only thing that I think looks odd, is a power chord for his laptop he left plugged in."

"Ok. That's weird how?"

"He's got a cat, Tanit, who appears to like chewing through electrical chords. The ones for his appliances are covered up, or 'cat proofed' except for this one. It just strikes me as odd that he would leave this one plugged in, with no laptop attached, considering the attention he gave to all the others."

"Tanit?"

"Yes, the cat's name is Tanit. Why?"

"I recognize that name. Uh, I'll give you a call back in a little bit. I'm just going to check something."

Daniel hung up without a goodbye. Sam returned the phone to her coat pocket, puzzled. Why would the cat's name bother Daniel? She joined Mary in the living room.

"Who was that?"

"A friend of mine. I can't see much else here. Can you access his computer at the lab?"

"Yes, but not all the files."

"That's ok. I just want to have a look at some of the recent projects he was working on."

On the way back to the lab her cell phone rang again.

"Daniel?"

"Sam, I was right."

"Right about what?"

"The cat's name. Tanit."

"What about it?"

"In Phoenician mythology, Tanit was a consort of Ba'al."

"It's the name of a cat, Daniel. I think you're reading too much into this."

"How long has he had the cat?"

"A little less time than I've been at the SGC."

"We know Ba'al is on Earth. What if he found out what you guys were working on?"

"And what, planted a cat for a spy? Andrew's been at this company for years. He's worked here most of his life. There's no way that he would pass information on to anyone."

"Perhaps not willingly. What if he had been implanted."

"You really think that is the case?" Sam was very skeptical.

"Think about it. He has access to the lab, most of the files on the computer, and he's gone missing just as your team is finishing the delivery system."

"I still think it's a bit of a stretch."

"When you get back to his lab, check if there's any missing information, or anything that looks like it's been tampered with. Just go with me on this."

"Ok. Hang on a sec."

Sam looked questioningly at Mary, whose cell phone had rung just after she had answered hers.

"He's there? Ok. We're on our way."

"Mary who's where?"

"Andrew just signed in. That's good. Now we've just got to ask him what he was thinking! Running off and scaring the daylights out of me."

"Daniel. Andrew just returned to his lab."

"What! How far away are you?"

"A few minutes. Why?"

"I'm calling Jack."

"What! There's no need for that Daniel. We've just got to go talk to the guy. If he is what you say he is, I'll know as soon as I get close enough."

"If he has been implanted, he's going back to destroy his trail, or worse, destroy the project."

"Damn, never thought of that." Sam stepped on the gas as Mary held on to her seat belt, staring at Sam in confusion.

"When you get there, call me back. I'm getting Jack on the line. He's closer to you and has more power to do what's needed."

"Ok."

"Sam?"

"Yes?"

"Don't get in his way. If he kills you, we'll never get this thing up and running. That's probably what he wants."

Daniel hung up abruptly once again. Sam turned to Mary and tried to figure out how to explain this.

"What's going on Dr. Carter?"

"The project I'm working on, is for the government."

"Is that why there's a guard outside your old lab door all the time?"

"Yes. There is a possibility that Andrew has been compromised and leaking information."

"What! No, you've got that wrong. He wouldn't do something like that."

"I don't know him well enough to make that call. For now I have to assume the worst. I'm going to need your help."

"What do you want me to do?"

"When we get there, I need you to pull the closest fire alarm, so everyone evacuates the building."

"Ok. What about you?"

"I need to find out what's going on."

Sam didn't bother parking this time, just pulled the rental to the front doors, put the park brake on, and ran into the building. She showed her pass to the woman at the desk, and bolted down the corridor to the stairs. She hoped she could make it up a few flights, as all the employees would be flooding down them once the fire alarm went off. She was almost at the second floor when she heard the bells ringing. She pushed her way past people coming down as she took the steps two at a time to the fourth floor. There were still people coming downstairs as she opened the door, but no one remained on her floor. She walked towards Andrew's lab, and stopped as she felt it's presence. She glanced down the hallway, not seeing the guard outside her old lab. She assumed that Scott and Vikki had made it downstairs with the guard.

She cautiously pushed the door open so she could look inside the room. He wasn't there, so she stuck her head in a little further. Walking into the room, it was obvious he had been there. Papers were strewn around the room, the computer lying on the ground, glass fragments scattered on the floor. Careful not to step on anything and disturb it, she exited the lab.

She knew he was in the building somewhere, and had to find him, before he found her. As she passed the other labs, she peered inside the window to see if there was any sign he had been there. Several looked like they had been ransacked, while others were untouched. The loud ringing of the fire alarm prevented her from being able to hear his approach, but meant that he wouldn't hear hers either. Feeling his presence move away, she quickly made for her office. She pulled out her key from her purse, and opened the door, locking it behind her. She ran to the safe, hidden behind a normal looking filing cabinet, and punched in her combo. Carefully she removed two glass vials and placed them one in each pocket. Everything that could rattle against them, she placed on her desk, and carefully made her way out, locking the door behind her again.

She guessed that he would be in her lab, and felt it's nearness grow as she approached it. All the blinds were down, and prevented her from seeing anything inside. She heard a scream and put her hand on the door handle. Opening it just enough to see inside, her heart stopped as she took in what was happening. Scott was lying face down on the ground, while the goa'uld in Andrew was holding Vikki tightly around her neck, struggling to cover her mouth. She was bleeding from just above her eyebrow, and he held a zat to her. There was no sign of the guard.

* * *

Daniel dialed Jacks number the second he hung up with Sam. 

"How may I direct your call?"

"General Jack O'Neill."

"I believe he's busy at the moment on another call, may I have..."

"Tell him it's Dr. Jackson. It's an emergency."

"Please hold."

Daniel waited the next few seconds pacing around his desk, as far as his phone chord would allow him to move.

"Daniel. What's going on?"

"Jack, it's Sam."

"What happened?" Despite his previous attitude, there was genuine concern in his voice.

"I think there's a problem with her missing scientist."

"What?"

"I mentioned it to you yesterday. I now think he's been implanted."

"As in..?"

"Goa'uld."

"Where?" Jack's voice changed again. This time the voice snapped into military mode.

"Sam's old lab. He returned and she's on her way back."

"I'll get reinforcements there as fast as I can. You got an address?"

"Yes. I'll go check with Landry. Prometheus may be back by now. They'll get you there the quickest."

"Call my cell phone. I've got to go talk to some higher ups."

This time it was Jack who hung up first. Daniel left his lab sprinting for the elevator. He found Landry in his office, and burst through the door after knocking once. Landry looked at him, frowning, until Daniel explained the situation. He immediately sprang into action, telling Walter to get Colonel Pendergast, and shouting for SG teams 3, 6 and 12 to get geared up. As soon as it was determined that Prometheus could beam the three teams to Sam, Daniel grabbed the closest phone and called Jack.

"We're going to send three teams to get Sam and the goa'uld."

"Good. That was fast. Can they pick me up?"

"Let me check."

Landry nodded as Pendergast got O'Neill's position.

"Yeah."

"I'll need some gear."

"We'll send it."

Jack's end went dead, and Daniel assumed that he'd been transported to the Prometheus. Bosco returned with some gear for O'Neill and the room filled with a bright white light. Daniel looked up at the computer screen displaying Colonel Pendergast's face and watched as he got up to greet General O'Neill and the men who had just arrived. Daniel dialed Sam's cell phone to let her know help was on it's way.

* * *

Sam tried to open the door a little more, so she could see where the airman was. He would have a weapon on him, and if she could reach him, she could hopefully catch the goa'uld by surprise. As she pushed the door open, she cringed as the hinge squeaked. She heard the sound of the zat as she dove behind one of the workbenches. 

"Colonel Samantha Carter. How nice of you to join us. Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you yet. You have information I need."

"Actually, its Doctor Samantha Carter now." She stood up, her hands in her pockets.

"Ah yes. How silly of me to forget."

"Let her go. She has no use to you."

"Then why should I not kill her, if she is of no use?"

His eyes flashed, and Vikki screamed again..

"If you keep making noise, you will end up like that one."

Vikki's eyes darted towards Scotts still form on the ground. She flinched, but didn't utter another sound. Sam slowly walked towards the goa'uld, stepping around Scott's body, holding the vials tightly in her hands. She needed to get close enough to his face and release contents to free Vikki. She heard a groan, and watched as Scott started to move. As the goa'uld moved his hand, Sam saw her opportunity.

"NOW!"

Vikki struggled against the taller man, causing his shot of the zat to miss Scott by mere inches. Sam pulled the vials out of her pockets as she leapt towards the goa'uld, and smashed them together, breaking them. He turned towards her and staggered when he inhaled the gas. He fell face first, on top of Scott's legs. Sam quickly kicked him off as Vikki helped Scott stand.

"What the hell happened?"

"I'll explain later. Are you guys ok?"

Sam grabbed the zat and the guards gun and held one in each hand. Scott stood shakily against a bench, while Vikki put some paper towel against her head.

"I think we'll live."

"What's that noise?"

Sam could hear a faint beeping noise and looked around for the source.

"I think it's this thing. He put it on the floor after he shot Scott with that thing."

Vikki pointed at the zat in Sam's hand. Sam moved around the bench to the source of the beeping.The second Sam saw it, she recognized it, and it was counting down fast.

"We've got to get out of here, now. Let's go..."

"What is going on?"

"It's a bomb. C'mon move."

She grabbed Scott's arm and started pulling him out of the room, Vikki following. She stopped at the stairs.

"Sam, let's go."

"Get everyone as far away from the building as possible. Let the fire department know there's a bomb inside and it's counting down."

"What about you?"

"I've just got to grab something. I'll be right behind you. There's enough time."

She raced down the hallway towards her office, hearing her phone ring down the hallway. Grabbing a disk from the open safe, and her phone from the desk, she bolted down the hallway towards the stairs. Not having the time to check who had called, she put the phone in her pocket. When she got to the stairs, she yelled that she was on her way down to Vikki and Scott, in case they didn't follow instructions and waited for her. She didn't hear a response as she jumped down the stairs. She rounded the final corner towards the bottom door and heard a deafening boom. She ran to the alcove under the last flight of steps and hoped that she could ride this one out here. She felt the concrete quiver and then nothing, as her world turned black.

* * *

Jack ordered the Colonel to find them a spot to be transported to with the least amount of people there. The Asgard sensors on the Prometheus had picked up lifeforms milling around the entrance of the building. Arriving back on Earth, Jack could clearly hear the sirens very close by, and he signaled the men to follow him to the front of the building. As the fire trucks pulled up, the group of SGC teams made it to the entrance. A fireman jumped out of the truck and yelled at them. 

"HEY, you can't go in there."

"General O'Neill. We've got a very dangerous man inside."

"We've got a possible fire."

At that moment Vikki and Scott ran out of the main doors.

"There's a bomb in there. Everyone needs to get back."

"Vikki?" Jack had never met this woman, but had heard about her from Daniel. The fire red hair gave her away.

The fireman was urging everyone to move away quickly, as another called over the radio for a bomb squad to come to their location. The other two fire trucks started to move a safe distance away.

"Yes?" Jack had to run to follow her.

"Where's Sam?"

"Inside. She said she was following us out." Jack gestured for the men to follow him. "She was the one who said there's a bomb."

Jack felt the explosion before he heard it and it knocked him to the ground, along with Vikki, Scott, and most of the personnel from the SGC. He turned and watched a ball of flame erupt from a few floors up. He watched in horror as the far front side of the building blew apart, the initial explosion triggering others. He covered his head as bits of concrete, metal and glass showered the area, and the continuing sounds of explosions ripping through the air.

_AN: Thanx for the reviews!!! Makes a great pressie!!! Hopefully there'll be another chapter by Christmas, I won't leave you hanging for long._


	17. Chapter 17

Jack felt someone grab his arm, and he looked up. He could see the bright uniform of the fireman, and stood up, as he helped Vikki and Scott get up. Jack pushed Vikki to the front of him, and walked directly behind her, figuring that he could shield her from anything flying from the never ending explosions. He had a bulletproof vest on, but still ran to the safety of behind the fire trucks. The fireman did the same with Scott, as another two helped the SGC teams to safety. Once behind the truck, Jack checked on the men.

"Any damage?"

"Bosco's out cold Sir, but other than a few bumps and scrapes, we'll be fine."

"What happened to him?"

"Don't know. I was knocked down, and I saw him fall next to me. Don't know if something hit him or if he hit his head on the ground."

Jack wandered over to the firemen, who had laid Bosco down, and checking him for injuries. Another was tending to Vikki.

"He's lucky. Something hit him and there's a small cut, but it didn't penetrate his skull. He should come round soon. There's a couple of ambulances on the way, and they'll take care of him."

"Ok. How long till I can go in?"

"Why? That man you're lookin for is probably dead by now, especially if he was anywhere near the initial explosion."

"There's another person inside. A scientist. She was trying to stop him."

"No one's going in there until there's no more explosions."

Jack watched the building as several balls of fire erupted out of one of the higher floors. The fireman ran over to the crowd of employees and started shouting questions, like what chemicals were in there, and on what floors. Jack knew the fireman was right. The building on the far side, where the first largest explosion had occurred, looked like it was going to collapse. As he thought that, he heard a rumbling sound, as the floors of the building pancaked down on top of each other.

Smoke billowed from the remainder of the building, and the two fire trucks pulled in closer. The fireman started dousing the flames, which were curling up from the windows. Jack ran towards the building.

"Where do you think you're going?" The fireman who had talked to him earlier yelled at him.

"No more explosions. I've got to see if I can find her."

"Wait." The fireman grabbed an extra helmet and ran towards Jack. "You're going to need this."

"You got any extras?" Jack pointed to several of the uninjured members of his team, who were following him to the doors.

"A few, but we don't want more than a few entering. I don't want to have to rescue all of you, or explain why so many of you died."

"Fine." Jack yelled out 3 names, the three commanders of the units, and the others stopped coming towards them. Another fireman grabbed some more helmets and handed them to the three men.

"No guns. Leave them here."

"What! He could still be alive..." The fireman cut him off.

"Fine, but make sure you don't start shooting at anyone you see. We don't know if everyone got out."

Jack opened the door, as the three men ran through. The fireman followed, axe in hand.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm coming with you. In case you didn't notice, there's a fire in here, and I'm a trained fireman."

Jack shrugged his shoulders and followed him inside. Once past the desk at the entrance, he walked towards the elevators. He saw two emergency exit signs, illuminated in the thin haze of smoke. He signalled the three Colonel's to take the west exit, while he and the fireman took the east. At the doorway, they ran into a pile of rubble, and no door. Jack started climbing over the chunks of concrete trying to get to the stairwell. He remembered Vikki stating that Sam should've been coming down this stairwell at the time of the explosion.

Crawling through the doorway, he looked up. Between the clouds of black smoke, he could see sky. A chunk of the roof was missing, and he assumed that was what he was standing on. He ran up the stairs, climbing over the debris littering them, calling Sam's name, the fireman right behind him. He ran up to floor five before the structural damage prevented him from going any further. The outside wall was missing, and there were large cracks in the concrete stairs. He ran back down the stairs to the bottom.

"What are the odds that there's an alcove under the bottom flight?"

"Usually buildings like these have them. Why, you think she's there?"

"I bet she hid under there. We've got to move this rubble."

Jack started pulling chunks of concrete out of the way and tossing them to the side. The fireman helped him and the two quickly made an opening towards where an alcove would be.

"You got a flashlight?"

"Yes. Here." The fireman handed him a small yet powerful light. Jack shone it into the alcove and saw a blond head curled up.

"She's here. We've got to get some more of this crap out of the way... Sam. Sam. Wake up. Sam."

Jack poked his hand inside the opening and tried to reach her. She was just out of his grasp. He started pulling debris out of his way to get to her. Once he could reach her, he checked for a pulse. It was weak, but steady. The fireman pushed him out of the way, as more joined them. He sat back in relief, knowing he had found her alive, and the firemen would get her out. As another fireman crawled through the entrance with a backboard, Jack went to grab the rest of his team, probably still searching for Sam.

He opened the door and could hear their boots on the concrete, as they came back down the stairs.

"General. No sign of her here."

"We found her in the other stairwell."

"Is she ok?"

"Unconscious, but she's alive."

"Can we help?"

"I think they've got it covered, and there's not much room in there. Go check on your teams."

"Yes Sir."

They ran towards the exit, Jack following slowly. He pulled out his phone and called the SGC.

"Landry."

"Jack. You find her?"

"Yes."

"Daniel, they found her." Landry yelled away from the phone. "She ok?"

"She's alive. They're going to want to take her to the hospital."

"I'll have Prometheus bring you here."

"Can't. There's too many people around and she's unconscious. Wait until we get her to the hospital. There's a few injuried men too, but nothing serious. I'll arrange for a military transport to meet us at the hospital, and Prometheus can pick us up from there. I need Dr. Lam to contact them and arrange for the transfer."

"Ok. What hospital?"

"I'll let you know. The ambulance is here, I've gotta go."

Jack put the phone back in his vest and watched as the paramedics ran inside. Another ambulance pulled up and attended to Bosco, who was just starting to regain consciousness. Jack called the uninjured men to him.

"Get to where the drop off point was. I'll have Prometheus pick you up in 2 minutes."

"What about the others, Sir?"

"We're going to let them go to the hospital first. We'll be back as soon as we can arrange it."

"Yes Sir."

Out of the 12 men who had come with him, 8 returned behind the building. He called the SGC and explained what was going on. He hung up as soon as he had confirmation that they were on the ship. He then called for a military transport to meet them at the hospital as soon as possible.

By this time, the paramedics were bringing Sam out of the building on a stretcher.

"How is she?"

"Who are you?" A skeptical paramedic looked at him, first his gun, then his face.

"He's the one who told us she was there." The fireman had rejoined the group.

"I'm someone she knows. How is she?"

"She's unconscious and has a broken leg. We're taking her to the hospital."

"I'm coming with you. Is that where you're taking the others?"

"Yes."

"Ok."

They loaded her into the back of the ambulance, and the paramedic and Jack climbed in. As the doors closed, Jack could see the other injured people, including Vikki and Scott, being loaded into the other two ambulances. As the paramedic checked Sam's vitals, he repeated his question.

"Who are you?"

"I work with her."

"Yeah. And what job is that?" Once again, the mans eyes flickered to Jacks gun. Jack held up his M9 and showed the paramedic that the safety was on.

"I'm General O'Neill, US Air Force."

"And this is your wife?"

"No. An old friend. She used to work here."

The paramedic sensed that the man didn't want to talk, and checked Sam's vitals again.

At the hospital, Jack informed the nurse that Sam's regular doctor would be contacting them to transfer her. The nurse merely stated that she had a patient to care for, and when the transport came to transfer Dr. Carter, she would deal with that then. She disappeared down the maze of corridors and Jack sat in the waiting room. He saw the other ambulances pull up shortly after, and waved as the men came inside. They were led off to rooms to be treated, and Jack left the waiting room. He dialed the SGC again to find out if the Prometheus would be ready, and if the transfer paperwork had been sent yet.

He paced around the waiting room for over an hour. Finally the nurse came to get him, papers in her hand.

"We've got the transfer papers, and as soon as the transport gets here, she'll be discharged."

"How is she?"

"Still unconscious. We've given her something for the pain in case she wakes up."

"Injuries?"

"Broken leg, some stitches required for her head wound, and several scrapes and bumps."

"Can I go see her?"

"Yes. Follow me."

Jack followed the nurse to a room with several occupied beds. Sam was in the far one, hooked up to several machines, all making noises to prove she was still alive. He thanked the nurse, and took a seat next to her bed. His hands twitched to hold hers, touch her, feel for himself that she was still here. Instead he sat there stoically until the nurse informed him that his transportation had arrived.

Once the vehicle was in a deserted parking lot, Jack called the base to let them know they were in position. Sam, Bosco, the other three men, and Jack were transported up to the Prometheus, then back down to the SGC. They arrived in the gateroom, where medics where waiting. They put Sam and Bosco on gurneys and whisked them away to the infirmary. Jack followed Landry up to the briefing room and took a seat next to Teal'c who was waiting for them.

"Teal'c."

"O'Neill. It is good to see you uninjured."

"You find the goa'uld?" Landry jumped in.

"No. There's a team waiting for the fire to be put out, and the remainder of the building stabilized. They'll check for a body, or anything we don't want found."

"Good. Any idea who he was?"

"No. Daniel figured it out. You probably know more than I do."

At that moment, Daniel burst through the doorway.

"Where is she?"

"She's in the infirmary."

"She ok?"

"She's got a broken leg, and still isn't conscious."

"Dr. Lam will call us if she wakes Jack. Dr. Jackson, take a seat. I want to know how this happened."

"I wish to travel back to Dakara and I will discuss these events with the council. Perhaps they will have heard of a goa'uld bearing the name Tanit."

"Good idea Teal'c. When we're done here you can leave."

The four of them discussed the days events trying to figure out when the goa'uld infiltrated the labs. After an hour or so, Walter entered the room and informed them that Dr. Carter was rousing. Daniel dashed out of the room while Landry asked Jack if he would be staying on the base for the night. Jack took him up on the offer, and made a few calls to let those who needed to know, where he was, and when he might return. That taken care of he went to the infirmary.

"I thought she was awake?"

"She roused a little, but the drugs they gave her at the hospital are reacting to the naquadah in her blood, according to Dr. Lam. They're making her really out of it and not coherent. She opened her eyes and mumbled something at me, then went back to sleep."

"How long till she can talk?"

"Dr. Lam doesn't think it will be too long. The drugs should have worn off in an hour."

"Good."

"Teal'c leave already?"

"Yes. He left as I was on the phone. He said he'd come back as soon as he found anything out."

"Are you staying the night?"

"Yeah, Landry offered a guest room on the base, and I took him up on it."

"I want to go talk to Vala. Can you stay here?"

"Vala? What could she do?"

"She was a goa'uld host once. Maybe she knows something about Tanit, or other goa'ulds who associated with Ba'al."

"You want me to come with you?"

"I think someone should stay with Sam. Like old times. No one woke alone."

Jack agreed, remembering the many times he had woken in the infirmary, always with one of his team members close by. He took Daniel's chair when he left, and sat back, waiting for her to wake.

* * *

It was like waking from a deep sleep. She knew she was awake, but refused to open her eyes. The last thing she could remember was running down the stairs. Not sure where she was, or who was there with her, she didn't want to alert anyone that she was awake. She smelt the smell of hospitals. No matter where in the world, how big or small, in her mind, all hospitals had the same odor. Was she in the local hospital? She couldn't hear the beeping of machines, but knew there was some attached to her. She could feel the sticky pads on her chest, and something clamped onto her index finger.

She felt the remains of whatever drugs they had given her, swimming through her head. As she became more alert, the sensation of pain crawled up the bones in her one leg, and with every breath, her ribcage became more painful. Trying to hear any thing that would give her an indication of where she was, she heard faint voices drifting towards her. She couldn't hear what was saying, or recognize the voices, but a cough close by she did remember. It sounded like Jack. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking as the light blinded her.

* * *

He knew when she started waking up again. He could see her body tense with every breath. He watched for subtle movements in her closed eyes, and watched the hand with the blood oxygen clamp attached to one finger, twitch every so slightly. Waiting for her to open her eyes, he coughed to let her know someone was there. He watched as her eyes opened, and blinked several times.

"Sam."

"Jack?" She rasped out his name.

"You're at the SGC."

"What happened?"

"The staircase you were in collapsed."

"Oh."

"Are you in pain?" He noticed that breathing seemed to be causing her some pain, and she winced as she tried to move.

"A little."

"Let me just go get Dr. Lam. She'll fix you up just fine."

Jack got up and returned with Dr. Lam. He waited outside as Sam was checked over, and returned when instructed to do so.

"I gave her some painkillers to help her out. She may get a little loopy but it's just a side effect and she'll probably fall asleep soon. She's got a few bruised ribs that are causing some discomfort right now. Let me know if you need more, ok, Sam?"

"Ok." Sam had a dreamy look on her face as she turned her head to Jack, then back to Dr. Lam.

"I think she's already feeling the drugs Doc."

Dr. Lam smiled at the General as he returned to his seat, and left the two alone. She had heard the rumours of their previous relationship when Sam had returned to the base, and had ignored them. After seeing him sit and wait for her to wake up, she knew where the basis for those rumours had come from. Even though, she couldn't believe that anything had ever happened between the two of them, as they were both loyal to their country, and would not flaunt the regulations.

Sam rolled her head to face him, and smiled a dopey smile.

"Drugs kickin in yet?" He grinned at her expression.

"Yeah, I think I'm feelin them."

"That's good. So Carter, don't think I've ever seen you with a cast on. Can I sign it?"

"Yeah, sure, why not."

Jack tried not to laugh as she tried to sit up.

"Stay where you are. If you fall out of bed, Dr. Lam will find a reason to keep me here all night."

"Sure Sir."

"Sir?"

"Yah, Sir. That's what you are right?"

Yup, Carter was high on whatever the good ol' doc had given her. He considered grabbing Dr. Lam and asking if she was supposed to get this loopy, but decided that she knew what she was doing, and this could be potential blackmail material here. Forgetting their previous awkward conversations, and the coldness between them, he continued to talk to her.

"Sir. Well Carter, since you're no longer under my command, I think you can call me Jack."

"Righty then, Sir. Jack."

"Close enough."

"Where's Daniel?"

"He's with Vala."

"Vala?"

"He trying to see if she knows anything about your little friend."

"My friend?"

"The goa'uld that blew up your old work today."

"He's not my friend."

"I know Carter. I was being sarcastic."

"Why do you call me that?"

"What?"

"Carter."

"That's your name isn't it?"

"My surname. In Washington, you called me Carter. How did you know?"

"Know what?"

"That my name had changed."

"I didn't. It was just old habit."

"Oh."

"When did you change your name back?"

"A while ago. As soon as I could. Didn't want to have anything of his. Nothing."

The silly smile vanished from her face, to be replaced by a look of fury and sadness mixed into one. What had Pete done to her to cause this reaction, even when she was drugged up to the nines?

"Sorry Sam. Didn't mean to upset you."

"It's ok. I just don't like to remember."

Sam yawned and closed her eyes. Opening them she refocused on Jack.

"You gettin tired?"

"A little."

"Sleep Carter. Daniel or myself will be here when you wake."

Sam could barely keep her eyes open anymore. She fell back into oblivion.

* * *

Daniel entered the dimly lit infirmary and spotted Jack slumped awkwardly in a chair, while Sam slept lying on her back, one leg propped up. He shook Jack lightly and he immediately woke up.

"How is she?"

"Once the Doc gave her some really good drugs, she was fine. Fell asleep quickly after. How did it go with Vala?"

"She doesn't know Tanit."

"You were gone for a while and that's all you got?"

"Well she tried bribing me first."

"With what?" Jack stood up and steered Daniel away from Sam's bed, so as not to wake her.

"She wants out of the room. She told me, if we let her out, she'd tell us what she knew."

"And?"

"I convinced her that telling us of her own free will would go a lot further than bribery."

"Good thing too, considering she didn't know anything."

"I didn't say that. When she was host to Qetesh, she knew Ba'al. She got to know him quite well."

Jack cringed. He didn't want to know how well.

"Anything useful?"

"Not yet, but when Teal'c returns we'll run it by him. See what he thinks."

"Ok. Any word from him yet?"

"No. Jack, you look beat. Why don't I take over here, and you go get some sleep."

"Alright. I'll see you in a few hours."

Jack walked down the familiar halls to an unfamiliar room. He found several items on the bed, including some BDU's. He changed, and crawled into the bed, tossing and turning, trying to find a comfortable spot. He grinned as Sam's face complete with goofy smile flashed into his mind. He had missed moments like those, and was glad that he had experienced one more. Not that he was too happy with the reason why. The other men had been checked and cleared for active duty right away. Bosco had been sent home with a team mate for a few days, to get some rest. Vikki and Scott had been left at the hospital. Jack had an airman let them know that Sam was safe, and had arranged for them to fly to Colorado Springs the next day.

Daniel sat in the chair, alternately reading, and dozing. Several nurses stopped by and checked on Sam, who slept peacefully for the rest of the night. He was awakened by a soft voice calling his name.

"Daniel."

"Uh, yeah." He blinked and sat up, the forgotten book falling off his lap and landing on the floor. He grabbed for it and hit his head on the bed.

"You ok?"

"I should be asking you that. You need anything?" He rubbed his head, the book still on the floor.

"Water?"

"Here." Daniel passed her a cup and helped her sit up.

"Thanks."

"Any pain?"

"A little, but not too bad."

"Dr. Lam gave you something a few hours ago. That's probably worn off by now. I'll just go get her."

"No. That's ok. Makes my head fuzzy. Where's Jack?"

"He's sleeping. I'm sure he'll be here soon."

"I dreamt he was here last night."

"He was."

"Oh. I don't really remember much, just that he was here."

"You were pretty out of it."

The memories of the previous day flooded back to her.

"Vikki? Scott? Are they ok? Where are they?"

"They're probably on their way here by now. Jack got them a flight early this morning."

"Guess they'll want some explanations." Sam tried to move and winced. She looked down at the source of the pain and pulled back the sheets. "What did I do?"

"You broke your leg."

"I can see that! I can't remember having a cast before. How long am I stuck here?"

"You can go later today, Sam." Dr. Lam had entered to check on her patient. "You'll be using a wheelchair for a while, but you can leave."

Daniel left the room so Dr. Lam could examine Sam. He ran to the commissary to get some coffee for them both, and on the way back, ran into Jack.

"Is she up?"

"Yeah. Just grabbing her some coffee."

"She say anything yet?"

"Not asked. Dr. Lam's just checking on her right now, so I was going to wait outside. When do Vikki and Scott arrive?"

"They're being picked up at 1300."

"So we've got a few hours."

They had reached the infirmary and Daniel took a hesitant look around. Not seeing Sam in her bed he asked a nurse where she had gone. The nurse told him that she'd gone to change, but needed help, and would be back shortly. Daniel and Jack sat down to wait.

"So what do we do now?"

"I'm waiting from the report from the labs. The investigators gained access early this morning, and my guys are checking for signs that the goa'uld died." Jack ran his hands over his face.

"Then what?"

"Talk to Sam."

"We've got to talk to Vikki and Scott. Find out what they saw too. I mean, if they ran into the goa'uld, they could have information from him."

"And a lot of questions."

"Yeah. Why didn't anyone talk to them yesterday?"

"I stopped by and chatted to them briefly. I reminded them of the confidentiallity agreement, and would arrange for them to come here."

"Why didn't you bring them back on the Prometheus?"

"I wasn't sure what they knew, and if they didn't see anything, beaming them from Philadelphia to a ship in orbit around Earth, then to Colorado Springs, would need an explanation."

The two men sat in silence until the nurse indicated that Sam was ready for visitors. They entered the room, and sat down. Jack wondered if Carter remembered their conversation the night before. She had been out of it, and while they hadn't said much about what was between them, it had cleared the air. One look at her wary face told him she didn't remember.

"Sir."

"Carter. How are you feelin?"

"Better. Gonna be out of here in no time."

"Good. We need to ask you what you remember from yesterday."

"Sure."

Sam recounted everything from Daniel's second phone call, to running down the stairs, trying to get out of the building. When she was done, she sat back, watching them think.

"Now can you tell me what happened after I blacked out?"

"There's not that much to tell really. Jack got to the lab just as Vikki and Scott came outside."

"We saw the explosion, and after it had stopped, we went in to find you. The paramedics took you to the hospital, took some x-rays, and put a cast on your leg. Then we got you out of there, and brought you here."

"What did you break?" Daniel was curious, while Jack sat back, listening to them talk.

"I broke the fibula and tibia, halfway down between my knee and ankle. It's going to be while before I'm out and running again."

"You staying here on the base? You can't go home."

"Thanks for reminding me, Daniel. For now, I'm staying here. I'll be wheelchair bound for a while, and the elevators will make life easier for me."

The topic changed to a discussion of Ba'al, where he could be, and what was being done to find him. Jack stayed quiet, only answering the questions directed at him. He got up, muttering something about a phone call, and left the room. Daniel looked questioningly at Sam who glared right back.

"What? You think I caused him to leave?"

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to. I was being civil to him, just like I said I would."

"Yes, you were." Daniel sighed. At least the two of them had been in the same room together for a while. Knowing he wouldn't be getting anywhere with the currrent line of discussion, he changed the subject.

"Can I sign your cast?"

"Uh, sure. Just nothing that will make me blush."

"You really think I'd do that?"

"Yes."

Daniel took his time, and wrote something in ancient on her cast. Sam tried to look at it, but he covered it up with his hand.

"What does it say?"

"I can't tell you."

"C'mon Daniel. You wrote it on my leg! At least tell me what it means."

"Nope. You're going to have to figure it out."

"I bet I'll have it figured out by the time this cast is off."

"I'll take you up on that."

"What time is it?" Sam turned around several times, trying to see a clock.

"It's 11am."

"I'm hungry."

"When can you leave?"

"As long as she stays in the chair, and with you Dr. Jackson, she can leave now. But I want you back here tonight."

Dr. Lam wheeled the chair over to Sam's bed, and Daniel helped her into it. She waved mockingly at Carolyn, who grinned back, and sat back to enjoy her temporary freedom.

_AN: If any of you have every broken your leg, and been stuck in a wheelchair, I would love to hear from you. How long were you in the wheelchair? How long on crutches? I'm guessing there's a chance of some sort of rehab too? How long do broken legs take to heal? Never having broken a leg, I don't have a clue on how long it will take to recover. _

_Leaving this on a light note for Christmas, but there may be an update tomorrow or on Boxing day. To each and every one of you, thank you for reading so far, and Merry Christmas. _


	18. Chapter 18

Sam lay back in her bed, thankful her little excursion was over. She had felt every bump in what she thought were smooth concrete hallways. They had sent daggers of pain up through her leg, through her hips, into her still painful ribs, then to her neck. Fortunately Daniel had noticed how pale she was, and returned her to the infirmary. Once back on the bed, Dr. Lam had suggested something for the pain. Sam declined as she wanted to be alert and coherent when Vikki and Scott arrived.

Jack had given her the option of talking to them herself, or allowing Daniel and himself to explain the situation. Sam felt she owed it to them, to tell them as much as she could, herself. She felt guilty as she was the one who had brought them into this mess. After leaving her with strict instructions to find out what they knew before telling them about the Stargate program, Jack left, leaving Daniel to sit with her.

"How long until they get here?"

"Probably another hour. Their plane would be landing soon, then they've got to get here."

"They're being driven?"

"Yes."

"Good."

"Sam, none of this is your fault."

"Daniel, I know that." Daniel could read the guilt written on her face and knew she was lying.

"If anything you probably saved their lives. If you hadn't been there, that goa'uld would've destroyed the building, with them inside."

"Any word on the goa'uld?"

"None yet. Jack's probably on the phone now, trying to find out what's going on."

"Anyone else hurt?"

"A couple of the SGC members."

"Civilians?"

"We don't know yet. Everyone that made it outside was ok."

"Please let me know as soon as you find out anything."

"We will."

"When's he leaving?"

"Who?"

"Jack."

"I don't know. Why?"

"No reason."

"Sam, what's going on?"

"Daniel, nothing is going on."

"Do you want to see Jack? I can go grab him if you'd like."

"No, don't. That's ok."

"Sam. Please tell me what's going on in that complicated brain of yours. I can't help either of you unless you talk to me."

"Either of us? We need help?"

"Sam, don't take that the wrong way. I'm just getting in the middle as usual, trying to help fix a friendship."

"Friendship?"

"Yes Sam. Do you think he would've gone to the rescue of just anyone? We could've sent several teams to find you, but Jack insisted on going."

"He did?"

"Yes. He was the one who found you, and stayed with you until you arrived here."

"Oh. I didn't know that." Sam turned her head away from Daniel to face the ceiling.

"No matter what happens, he'll be there. You know that as well as I do."

"Have you seen the way we've been talking to each other? How awkward it is when we're in the same room together?"

"Yes, but ignore that. The strong friendship we all shared for years can't be broken that easily."

"So Mr. fix it all, what do you suggest?"

"Sam, please, don't shut me out. Listen to me. You've both changed from the people you once knew in some ways. In others, you're still the same."

Sam, despite her frustration, couldn't help but listen to Daniel. His tone of voice told her how much he wanted them to reconcile, how much their friendship meant to him.

"You think he wants a friendship? I didn't exactly extend an olive branch when I saw him here."

"I'm sure he does Sam, even if he doesn't realise it yet."

Unbidden tears filled her eyes. She refused to cry, but she felt upset, and ashamed. Her years at the SGC, being a member of SG-1, had been some of the best years of her life. The friends she had made had been a big part of that. For many years, Jack had been on her mind, more than she thought appropriate, until Pete had entered her life. She shivered at the memories that name brought forth.

"Sam, you cold? I could get you a blanket?" Daniel had noticed her shiver, and didn't know if it was from the cold, or the conversation.

"Yes please."

Sam used the opportunity that Daniel created to wipe her eyes as he turned to get a blanket. Forcing all thoughts of Pete, and Jack out of her mind, she turned to smile at Daniel as he gently covered her with a warm blanket.

"Thanks Daniel."

"So how long are you going to be on base?"

"Carolyn thinks I'll be in the wheelchair for several weeks. I won't be able to handle the stairs at my apartment building with that thing, and probably not until I get used to the crutches."

"You know you could always stay with me."

"Thanks Daniel, but until I get out of the wheelchair, I think it'd be easier staying here. I may take you up on your offer once I get crutches though."

"Excuse me. Dr. Carter, Dr. Jackson. The two people you are expecting have arrived. They will be here shortly."

"Thank you." The airman left as silently as he had arrived, and Sam attempted to sit up. Daniel helped her, and propped her up with pillows.

"Is there anything else you need?"

"No. I don't think so."

"You want me to stay or leave?"

"I'd rather do this alone, if you don't mind."

"No problem. I'll just go check on Jack, see how he's faring."

"Thanks Daniel."

"Anytime Sam."

Daniel left as Vikki and Scott entered.

"Sam, oh my, are you ok?" Vikki went straight to Sam's side and grabbed her hand.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I've had worse."

"Worse?"

"Hi Scott. Yes I'm sure I've had worse, just hard to remember sometimes."

"Sam, where are we? Why are we underground?"

"Vikki, Scott, sit down. Before I can explain anything to you, I need to know what happened."

"You'll tell us everything?" Scott's expression was one of curiosity, with a hint of anger.

"It depends on what you saw."

"What the hell does that mean? Our labs get blown up by some psycho and you can't tell us everything?"

"Scott, calm down. You don't want us kicked out of here before we get a chance to hear anything, do you?"

Sam had not seen the angry side of Scott, and it scared her a little. Her memories flashed back briefly to when she had confronted Pete. As Vikki spoke, the memory faded, but the bitter aftertaste didn't.

"Sorry Sam. I'm just a little shaken up. We sat in that hospital for ages, trying to get news of what was going on with you. When we finally did get word, it was that you were transferred."

"Vikki, are you ok?" Sam noticed the gauze on Vikki's forehead as when she had turned to Scott, the movement had caused her hair to move, and reveal it.

"Yeah, couple've stitches."

"Ok. Oh, one thing. There's cameras in all the rooms here, so this conversation will be recorded. I need to know what happened."

"I'm not sure how it started. I went to the bathroom. While I was in there, I heard crashing noises from one of the other labs. I looked in one of Andrew's labs and saw broken glass, and scattered papers. I called security and they told me that Andrew had signed in. I went back to our lab to tell Scott. When I walked in, he grabbed me."

"Who? Scott?"

"No. Andrew. Well, it was Andrew, but he wasn't acting like himself."

"In what way?"

"He grabbed me. Andrew would never do that to anyone. Then I saw his eyes flash. It was the weirdest thing, creepy too."

"Then what happened."

"Scott moved towards me, so he shoved me aside and I hit my head on the corner of the workbench. I heard something like an electrical... I don't think I can describe the sound. Then I heard Scott hit the floor. Andrew pulled me up and started demanding to know how to access the information on the computer. I wouldn't give it to him, so he told me we'd wait until Scott was awake. He kept taunting me about the password to your files, and where the paperwork was stored. That's when I heard the door squeak."

"Scott?"

"I was in the lab when the guard outside told me there was a man wanting to see me. I went to the door and told the guard that I knew the man, and to let him in. As soon as Andrew was inside, he shot the guard twice with that gun thing he had. The guard fell and he dragged him inside the lab, staying in front of the door. He pointed his gun at me, and started demanding the information for the SGC, whatever that is. I told him I didn't understand what he was talking about, then he mentioned you. He wanted to know where you were, and when you were going to return. Where were you anyways?"

"I was with Mary. We checked out Andrew's place trying to see if there were any clues as to why he took off."

"Find anything?"

"Yeah. Please continue Scott."

"Where was I. Oh, yes. He was going on and on about you and your work, claiming he knew about your participation in the defeat of, uh, I can't remember the name. Well, I tried talking to him, asking him what happened, and why he had left without a word to anyone. His eyes flashed, and he told me to keep quiet, unless I was answering his questions. He said that I should be in awe of a god, not question him. That was freaky. I mean, this was Andrew. What was going on with him?"

Scott paused as he remembered the events. Sam waited patiently, knowing that this would be hard to relive for someone who didn't know what they were dealing with.

"He left the door, and placed that bomb thing on the floor. I tried to get away but he saw me, and jumped at me. I fell down, and he told me to stand up. He said that he knew where the, uh, chapped eye was? I told him I had no idea what he was talking about and he laughed at me. He pushed me over towards the bench and started spouting out nonsense about where he was from, how his Jaffs would be coming soon and that I would pay for my ignorance. We heard Vikki on the phone in another lab, and he moved towards the door. When she came in, I moved towards her, then nothing. The last thing I remember was feeling like I'd been electrocuted."

"Thanks guys." Sam paused, going over the information she had just learned in her head.

"What was wrong with Andrew. Why did he go crazy?" Vikki looked to be on the verge of tears. Sam plunged right in.

"That wasn't Andrew. He had been taken as a host by a goa'uld symbiote."

"A gowld. That's what he said."

"No, goa'uld. It's a parasite, basically. They live inside of other beings, taking their body and using it as their own."

"Like an alien."

"Yes, an alien."

"Alien! I was joking. They're real? Where did they come from? How did you know about them?"

"Scott, I'll explain everything. It's just going to take time."

Sam started explaining about the stargate, the travel to other planets, and her involvement with the SGC. Both Vikki and Scott stared at her, wide eyed, as she explained exactly how the gas they'd be working on, would function in the SCG. Once she was finished, she waited for their response.

"So this Stargate thing is real?"

"Yes."

"It's here."

"Yes."

"And when you used to be here, you went to other planets and explored."

"Yes."

"Wow. That's a lot to take in. Vikki?"

"So what happens to us now?"

"You've got a few options. You can leave here, go back home, and forget this ever happened. Or you can stay with the program, stay here and work with me, or go back and once the lab is rebuilt, work there, still as part of my team."

"I don't think I can forget this. I don't think I want to."

"Sam, can we think about this?"

"Vikki, take all the time you need. I'd love to have you guys here, and there's room for you. I already checked. If you decide to go back to Philadelphia, that'd be ok too."

"Can we see the Stargate?" Scott was looking for confirmation with his own eyes that this thing really did exist.

"Uh, I don't know. I'll have to check on that."

* * *

Scott and Vikki stayed until Daniel returned. Sam knew that someone would be watching the tapes, listening to what Vikki and Scott had to say, and had heard Scott's request to see the base.

"Hey guys."

"Scott, Vikki, this is Dr. Daniel Jackson. He works here at the SGC." Daniel shook hands with both, and leaned into Sam to talk to her quietly.

"General Landry is sending an escort so they can see some of the base."

"Thanks Daniel."

"You doing ok? You look pale."

"I'm fine. I think I'm just a little tired."

"Hey Sam, can I sign your cast?"

Scott stood eagerly by her bed, black marker in hand. Sam grinned and told him to go ahead. Both he and Vikki signed the cast, making it a total of three signatures. Sam grinned when Scott commented on the weird drawings that were Daniel's signature. It was Walter who showed up to escort the two around the base, and when they left, Sam sank back into the pillows, relieved. Pain was once again, shooting up her leg, and had been for the past hour. She didn't see Daniel reenter the room, or go get Dr. Lam. When the two returned, she denied feeling anything other than a little tired, but Dr. Lam was having none of it. She gave Sam some pain killers, and left Daniel sitting with her, until she fell asleep.

* * *

Once Sam drifted off, Daniel went in search of Jack. He didn't have to look far, as he was in the briefing room, staring at the gate.

"Miss it?"

"Huh?"

"You miss it here."

"To some extent."

"She's sleeping again."

"And the others?"

"Walter's showing them around."

"Good. Hopefully they'll stay."

"Jack, are you ill? You're hoping two more scientists will stay here? Two more eggheads to run into the few times you're here?" Daniel had a look of mock shock on his face.

"If they're here, we don't have to worry about more incidences like yesterday."

Jack hadn't turned around, still stood facing the window looking down on the gate. He had heard the humour in Daniel's voice, but was deep in thought.

"Earth to Jack?"

"Sorry Daniel, mind just wandered."

"And where would it be wandering too?"

"Just somewhere else. I'm not leaving until tomorrow morning. What do you have planned for the rest of the day?"

"I was going to talk to Cam about trying to find Merlin's treasure. He seemed pretty excited about the discovery."

"That kid gets excited about everything."

"Enthusiasm Jack. I used to be like that."

"You still can be Danny."

"Well, I was going to see if Cam and the remainder of his team wanted to help me."

"I'm sure he will. Hank said he's been trying to get some of you guys back on the team."

"He started after he arrived here. As soon as I got back from Atlantis, he started again."

"What else are you going to do?"

"I don't know. As much as I enjoy staying in my lab, working on artifacts brought back, I do miss going off world."

"Don't we all."

"I don't miss the whole not being shot at all the time, and having my life threatened at least twice a week. The thought is there. How about Teal'c?"

"He seems to be happy on Dakara, with the council."

"Well, things haven't been going too well lately."

"Yeah, what's that guys name? Garek?"

"Gerek."

"He's mentioned coming back to me, but I think he's just keeping his options open."

"Really? Well, I guess. He has freed the Jaffa, but there's still many of them out there, believing they are serving a god. I can see Teal'c coming back to help us defeat the few that are left."

"It'd be good to have him back."

"Cam wants to talk to Sam, see if she wants to join his team." Daniel hesitated. How would Jack take the news?

"Sam? She's not going anywhere for a while."

"You wouldn't mind her going on a team?"

"It's not really up to me. Hank's the one in charge here."

The klaxons sounded for an incoming wormhole, and Daniel joined Jack at the window. They watched as Teal'c exited the event horizon, and ran down to the ramp to greet him.

"What have you got Teal'c?"

"I am afraid I was not able to get much information. Perhaps we should discuss this else where."

"Someone page General Landry to the briefing room." Jack ordered the airman in the control room, as the three walked up to the briefing room.

"Teal'c, what have you got?" General Landry took a chair at the head of the table.

"The council is aware of a goa'uld bearing the name Tanit. It was widely believed that Tanit was killed by the Tok'ra many, many years ago. Her Jaffa have not been any of the ones who joined our ranks, and have not been seen on other worlds. It is very possible that Tanit was not the one who was behind the explosion."

"Wait, you said her?"

"Yes General Landry."

"But the goa'uld took a male host, Andrew."

"In dire need, the goa'uld will take whichever host is available, but I too, do not believe that Tanit was in the scientist."

"Do we have any idea of when Andrew was taken as a host?"

"No, General. Sam's going to have a look at his recent work and see if she can spot it. Did we find a body?"

"My teams are testing several blood samples they were able to get. I haven't heard anything else yet."

"Did they find anyone else in the building, Jack?"

"Yes."

"Oh, God. Do you know who?"

"Not yet. One was crushed when the upper floors pancaked, the other we assume died as a result of the fire."

"Has anyone told Sam yet?"

"No. I was waiting to find out who they were."

"Let me know when you find out. I'll let her know." Daniel knew that Sam would be very upset, and needed a friend to tell her.

"Will do."

The four men discussed the incident, combining Scott and Vikki's statements, to get a full picture of what had happened. Daniel voiced his intent to research some of Ba'al's consorts and allies in mythology, while Jack stated that his team would work on locating Ba'al in the business world. He didn't think a man like Ba'al would come to Earth, and just sit back and relax. Teal'c agreed with him, and offered his assistance in what ever way he could help.

"Teal'c, how long are you staying this time?"

"It is undetermined O'Neill. The council is not in agreement about helping the Tau'ri with the incidents on Earth. Gerak believes that we should track down Ba'al here, and capture him. I have done all I can to convince him that we must work with the Tau'ri to better accomplish our goals."

"But we're trying to do the same thing here!" Daniel protested.

"That is why I am here to render assistance as needed, until such time that Bra'tac contacts me."

"Teal'c, Cam's missing a fourth member of SG-1. Why don't you join him while you're here."

Teal'c bowed his head as the group parted. After a quick dinner, Daniel went to visit Vala, Teal'c to his old quarters, and Jack wandered to the infirmary.

* * *

When he walked in, a nurse informed him that Sam was sleeping, but he could go visit her if he would like. Dr. Lam checked on Sam after he had been there for half an hour, and told him she probably wouldn't wake for several hours. She had given her something for the pain and it had knocked her out. Jack thanked her, and as she left, he noticed the marker on the table beside the bed. He remembered the conversation he had had with Daniel over dinner.

Daniel had told him that Sam was shocked that he had been the one to find her. Daniel had been unable to hide how upset he was at Sam's reaction. It had hit Jack like a cold shower. Did she really think that despite their current friendship, or lack of, that he wouldn't go to her aid if she needed it? That woke him up. No matter how much they had changed, and drifted apart, he would always be there for her, if she needed him.

Jack picked up the marker, and gently pulled the blanket from over her cast. She'd had several visitors since he had last seen her. There were now many signatures covering the cast, and he immediately noticed two that stuck out. Ancient, Daniel's signature, and Goa'uld, Teal'c's. He had no idea what they said, and doubted Sam did yet. He found a spot near the bed and wrote one word. He capped the pen, placed it on the table, and left.


	19. Chapter 19

Sam had been in the infirmary for a few days due to the drugs they kept giving her. She hated the way they made her feel, but they helped the pain that seemed to intensify with each passing hour. After that, she was allowed to go to her quarters. Having never been in a wheelchair, she hadn't thought it would be too difficult. It hadn't taken her long to rethink that thought. Counters were too high, doors hard to open, inaccessible places that she needed to go, even going to the bathroom was a major chore. It didn't take her too long to move things around in her lab and bedroom, to make it easier on her, but some things, like getting meals, she still needed assistance with. It was tough to balance a tray of hot food on her lap, and maneuver around the tables in the commissary. Fortunately Daniel was usually around to assist her.

Daniel had been the one to tell her about the two who had died in the explosion. One was a security guard, employed by the company. He had been responding to Vikki's call when he was engulfed in the flames. Another had been working on an experiment and had been wearing headphones to block out any noise. He had been caught as the building collapsed. It had been confirmed that Andrew had died, and likely the goa'uld inside of him. She had appreciated Daniel telling her, and felt comforted by his presence. Once in her quarters, she had broken down, at the lives lost for her project.

She waited eagerly inside a newly vacant lab. Scott and Vikki were coming to check out their new workspace and she wanted to see their reaction. They had moved to Colorado Springs the day before, and had been busy settling into their new place. She had told them she would see them today, so they could unpack and get a little settled before entering the hubbub of the SGC. She grinned as she remembered the call from Vikki. They had decided to move, to be a part of what the SGC was doing. Once the decision had been made by both of them, Scott had asked Vikki to marry him, and live with him in Colorado Springs. Sam was happy for her two friends.

The wedding date and place had yet to be decided, but Vikki told Sam that Scott joked continually about having it held on another planet. Neither of them had much family. Scott lost his parents at a very early age, and had been in foster care until he graduated high school. Vikki had a brother, and her mother in Philadelphia, but no extended family. Sam had been surprised that Vikki had agreed to move halfway across the country considering how close she was to her family.

That in mind, she remembered how she had moved far away from those she considered family, to be with the man she loved. Well, the man she had loved. She tried not to think of Pete, but the memories surfaced from time to time. Sitting alone in the empty lab, she allowed herself mind to drift back. She remembered the good times, the laughter, the closeness, the feeling of being loved. Now it felt tainted, and bitter. She couldn't forget the fight when she had confronted him about his other woman. He had denied it, then become angry towards her. He hadn't tried to hit her, and she had known, that even though she was out of practice, it wouldn't take much for her to kill him.

Every time she saw children, she felt a weight in her heart, as she thought of the two she had lost. She had a small tattoo where her womb was, in remembrance, and her hand traced the design over her shirt. She had not told anyone of the losses, and even Daniel didn't know most of what had happened. She had only told him that Pete had been cheating, and she had left him. She doubted Jack knew any of it, and didn't remember telling him that she had divorced Pete. Surely Daniel would've.

A noise down the corridor shook her out of her revere. She wiped her face, and cursed herself for allowing her memories to affect her at work. Hoping no one would notice her red eyes, she opened the door, and waited for them to arrive.

* * *

Several weeks later, Vikki and Scott were settled into their new home. Settling in to the SGC was another matter. Vikki kept getting lost, and Scott, while getting his own work completed, loved to go watch teams depart and arrive from missions. He had been ordered out on several occasions by General Landry, but still tried to get in. Sam had discussed sending him off world with one of the scientific teams with the General, but he had yet to agree. 

Daniel had been spending more time with Vala, especially once she was allowed to roam the base. She had taken a lie detector test in an attempt to prove that she meant Earth no harm, and was not a spy. She had been depressed for several days, as she had tried to flirt with the man doing the test. Unfortunately she had been hooked up to the machine, and it had indicated her lies as she tried to compliment him. When the word finally came to her that she had passed, she had been back to her normal self.

Daniel had convinced the General that searching for Merlin's treasure could be potentially useful, and was now waiting for the Prometheus to return from the Pegasus Galaxy. They needed the scanners on the ship to detect the underground cavern, that seemed to be shielded.

Cam was thrilled at having Teal'c on his team, and the prospect of working with Daniel. Vala had spent the past few days trying to convince Daniel that she should come too, considering how she had brought him the tablet in the first place. Daniel wasn't falling for it. Bosco had been reassigned to SG-1 once he had recovered from his head injury, and was delighted about it. Cam, with the temporary addition of Daniel, had a team he was thrilled with, and didn't hesitate to let everyone know how he felt.

* * *

Sam was glad to be out of the wheelchair, but the crutches weren't much better. Her arms, and hands hurt for a while at first, until she got used to it. By the time the original cast had been removed, it was covered in signatures. She had figured out Teal'c's as soon as she was able to see it. He had written, in goa'uld, that this was another strange Tau'ri custom. Daniel's was taking time, as someones signature had run through the last few symbols, making it difficult for her to figure out what it said. 

There was one word written with no signature. It was almost underneath her calf, and in Latin. It had been written in block letters, making it impossible for her to tell who had written it. One word, Semper. Always. She had kept the cast, and it now lived in a corner in her closet.

She had been relieved to go home, but it hadn't taken her long to take Daniel up on his offer. Living on the third floor with no elevators, it was exhausting to go up and down the stairs. Living with Daniel was different in a good way. His house was littered with artifacts that he had found on digs, and all sorts of historical bits and pieces. He had cleared the spare room for her and it hadn't taken her long to feel at home. Daniel had been off world several times, but not for more than a night or two. Before he left, he always made sure that there was enough food in the house so Sam wouldn't have to go shopping. She felt very well taken care of, without feeling smothered or useless.

One night Jack had called looking for Daniel. Sam had heard the surprise in his voice when she answered, but he asked how she was doing, and if Vikki and Scott had settled down. He informed her that he would be coming to the base for a while, as General Landry was taking some time off. Sam had heard from the General that one of his close friends was very ill, and was glad that he would get a chance to go visit him.

They chatted about work and Jack confirmed that he had received her report about the test of the delivery system. She wondered if it would go ahead in Landry's absence, and Jack stated that it would. She hung up content. While there was still some distance between them, the friendship seemed to be healing.

The next week Jack arrived and General Landry left for two weeks. Sam guessed the guy hadn't had more than a few days off in a row since he had taken Jack's old spot. Jack on the other hand, settled in right away, taking one of the guest quarters while he was there. Sam had offered him her place, and he had thanked her, but refused.

The test went ahead as scheduled. Sam, Vikki and Scott waited in the control room to see how well all their work would perform. As they had no live goa'uld to test it on, they had sensors all over the base. Even though the gas was harmless to humans, Jack ordered everyone to get above ground for the duration. Once they had the numbers they needed, all personnel were allowed back inside. Vikki and Scott had been thrilled with the result of the test, but Sam wasn't as happy.

"Carter, it was a success. Why so glum?"

"I don't think it was as effective as it could be."

"In what way?"

"I think that if there were people walking around here, it would take much longer than I would like for the gas to do anything to the goa'uld."

"Will it still work?"

"Yes, it'll just take longer than I expected."

"Then it's something to work on. You did a great job, Carter."

"Thanks Sir."

"Carter. I told you to cut the Sir."

"Sorry, Sir. I just hear 'Carter' and automatically answer that way."

"Ok. Sam, what are yours and Daniel's plans tonight?"

"I'm not sure."

"Well, seeing as Daniel and Teal'c are going off world at 1800 tomorrow, I was thinking dinner at O'Malley's."

"Uh, well I'll have to ask Daniel."

"Teal'c's up for it. Just tell Daniel I'm paying. He'll come."

"Sure, sounds great. What time?"

"1900?"

"Meet you there then."

Sam walked out of the almost deserted control room, grinning. Things seemed to be getting back to normal.

_AN: To all of you who answered my question about broken legs, ouch. I'm glad I've never broken one... Thanks for the help. Top marks for ALIMOO1971 and AT Fan, for guessing what Jack wrote on the cast correctly... More soon... _


	20. Chapter 20

Sam rotated her neck, which was becoming more stiff with every minute. Dinner the previous night had run very late, and as soon as she got back to Daniel's place, she had fallen asleep in seconds. Unfortunately in the wrong position, as she'd woken up with a very sore neck. Now, standing on one foot, balancing with the crutches, bending low over her desk, was not helping. She sat down, and rubbed the muscles, hoping to alleviate the pain.

As she sat back, she noticed the time. 0100. She decided to pack it up for the night, and go to bed. Putting the diagrams away, she checked her email one last time before she left the office. There was one from Mark and she opened it. It was a long newsy email, with the kids goings on, and where he was planning to go for vacation that summer. Towards the end, he mentioned that his wife had run into Pete recently while on a business trip. He had asked about Sam, and Lisa had mentioned that Sam was back in Colorado Springs.

Sam turned the computer off, angry. Why had Lisa said anything to him? It was none of Pete's business where she was right now. Sam turned off the lights, and headed to her quarters. Despite being tired, she couldn't sleep, as angry thoughts and memories circled in her mind.

* * *

Jack knew Sam was in a crappy mood the moment she arrived in the commissary. He watched her as she headed straight for the coffee and he waved at her to join him. She smiled a small, fake smile, at the lieutenant who carried her coffee cup for her, and sat down opposite Jack. 

"Mornin."

"Morning."

"Good night?"

"Fine. You?"

"Well, I actually managed to get five hours of uninterrupted sleep, so I had a great night." Jack grinned at her, but she buried her nose in the coffee mug.

"Good."

"Sam, what's up?"

"Nothing."

"C'mon Sam. I could tell you had a bad night the moment to opened the door."

"How?"

"It's in the way you, er, walk."

"Walk?" Sam let a tiny grin of amusement slide onto her face.

"Normally, yes. But even with the crutches, I can tell."

"I just had an email that pissed me off."

"Oh. Anyone I know?"

"Mark."

"Ah. I thought you two got along."

"Sometimes."

"So what's the problem this time?"

"I thought he was on my side, but now I'm not too sure."

"Oh? Anything I can do?"

"No."

"Ya sure?"

"I don't want to talk about it, really."

"Well, you know where I am, at least for the next week or so."

"I've got to get going." Sam stood up as quickly as she could, and fumbled with her crutches. Jack could tell that whatever was on her mind, was really getting to her.

"Daniel and SG-1 will be back at 1300. You should bring Scott down to see them arrive."

"Sure."

Jack watched her as she navigated around the tables and a few errant chairs. Whatever had been in that email had upset her. When Daniel came back, he would ask him to take her home. He knew that Daniel would be better at talking to her than he would be.

* * *

"How often are teams late?" 

"It happens."

"Does it worry you?"

"Not yet. Sometimes the if a member is injured, it can take them longer to get back to the gate. They're only a few minutes late right now, so we aren't worrying yet."

"How long till you do worry?"

"If they aren't here in 30 minutes, we'll probably dial the gate, and check in with them. If we can't make contact, decisions need to be made."

"Like what?"

"Whether or not to send another team. Why do you like to watch the teams leave and arrive?"

"I'm not sure. Probably because it's still so unbelievable."

"Unbelievable?"

"Yeah, I mean, I still have to see the other side for myself. The whole travelling to other planets thing, through the stargate, well, it goes against most of what I was taught in physics."

"I know what you mean."

"Really?"

"The first time I went through, Colonel O'Neill pushed me through."

"What!"

"Yeah, I was babbling about the science of the event horizon, and he just gave me a shove, and through I went."

"How was it?"

"Cold."

"Cold?"

"At the time, we hadn't perfected the calculations to compensate for planetary shift, and exited the wormhole freezing cold."

"Does that still happen?"

"No. It hasn't happened in a few years."

"Where is SG-1 now?"

"A planet designated P4J 6S2. When we sent a UAV it appeared to have abandoned naquadah mines about 5 miles from the gate. They went to go check it out."

"Was there anyone living on the planet?"

"Not that we know of. The scans didn't show any sign of an existing or previous population."

"What could've happened?"

"Anything from someone twisting an ankle, to, well, I've been in some bad situations."

It wasn't long before Jack ordered the gate to be dialed, and try to raise SG-1 on the radio. Scott watched in awe as the gate went into action, as Sam hobbled up the stairs to the control room. The moment the wormhole was established, Jack started trying to get in touch with SG-1. After a few attempts with no results, and the images from the MALP showing no signs of recent activity around the gate, Jack ordered a UAV to be readied, and the gate shut down.

* * *

The UAV sent back aerial pictures, showing no sign of the members of SG-1. Jack authorised two teams to go investigate, and they embarked at 1500. Jack left the control room to go check on Sam in the briefing room. She was pacing with her crutches, back and forth, around the long table.

"You just can't stay still can you?"

"No."

"Do you want anything?"

"No."

"You sure? You didn't eat this morning, so you must be starving."

"I'm fine Jack."

Jack looked at her white face as he left, and once back in the control room, ordered an airman to go get some sandwiches from the commissary. He knew SG's 18 and 24 would take at least 3 hours to walk to the mine and back. More than enough time to get Sam to eat. Once the food had arrived, he walked back up to the briefing room, placing the plate on the table. He grabbed a sandwich, and started eating as he joined Sam, looking out the window.

"I sent Scott back to the lab."

"Oh. Thanks."

"Has he been off world yet?"

"No."

"Still wants to?"

"Oh yeah."

"Next time we find a doohickey that requires his expertise, we'll send him."

"I won't tell him. He'll be bouncing around my lab for weeks."

"I'm sure he will be."

"How long until we hear from them?"

"If they have to go to the mine and back, about two more hours."

Sam looked at the clock as she took a seat. Jack reached for another sandwich, as they continued to talk. Jack noticed as Sam mindlessly grabbed a sandwich and started to eat, without breaking the conversation. Despite his worry for the missing team, he knew realistically there was nothing he could do, except wait. He used the time to attempt to cheer Sam up, and talking about her latest projects, and the few houses she had been looking at, seemed to be working.

* * *

Just before 1600, the gate whirled into action, and Walter announced the unscheduled incoming wormhole. Jack sprinted down the stairs. The radio crackled into life as Colonel Harris's face appeared on the screen.

"Colonel, report."

"General, there's no sign of them here. We found evidence of their camp last night, but nothing suggests foul play."

"Any signs of them along the trail?"

"Not much. There's a few footprints scattered around, but nothing to tell if they went off course."

"Any sign of them arriving back at the gate?"

"No, Sir."

"How long till it starts getting dark?"

"About 2 hours, Sir."

"Head back once it gets dark. Until then, keep looking."

"Yes Sir."

"Contact us if you find anything."

"Yes Sir. Harris out."

The gate deactivated, and Jack rubbed his hands through his hair. What the hell had happened to them?

_AN: Sorry about the delay. I had some trouble trying to upload this chapter. More soon..._


	21. Chapter 21

_AN: There was a paragraph that was missing in the last chapter. It was supposed to indicate that Sam and Scott were talking in the gateroom while waiting for SG-1 to return. Sorry about the confusion._

The briefing with SG's 18 and 24 hadn't taken long. They reported that SG-1 had arrived, made it to the mine, camped for the night, and departed the following morning. There was no evidence of a fight or anything to suggest that SG-1 had been ambushed. Jack had dismissed the eight men, and contemplated his next move, with his head in his hands. He couldn't have been sitting there for longer than five minutes, when he heard the klaxons announce the unscheduled incoming wormhole. He jumped up, and ran down the steps to the control room.

"It's SG-1, Sir." Walter announced.

Cam's face appeared on the screen, but Jack could not authorize the iris opened just yet.

"Colonel, report."

"Sir, we were captured by Jaffa."

"When?"

"About 9 hrs ago."

"Are they pursuing you?"

"No. Request permission to return to base."

"Granted."

Jack turned to Walter who opened the iris, and called armed guards to the gateroom. The four members of SG-1 had been taken by the Jaffa and there was no telling what had happened. Jack watched as Cam, Daniel, Teal'c and Bosco all emerged from the event horizon, handed their weapons to the guards, and leave for the infirmary. As soon as they were cleared by Dr. Lam, he would start the briefing to find out what had happened. He picked up the phone to tell Sam that they had arrived back.

* * *

Jack listened as Daniel and Cam told their versions. 

"So no sign of them until you got ringed up?"

"No, nothing. The Al'kesh was cloaked until it was right on top of us, Sir."

"Then what?"

"We were taken to a camp of sorts. Whatever it was, it had been there long enough for structures to be built."

"Daniel?"

"I agree with Cam. We didn't see much so I can't even begin to guess how long they've been there. As soon as we landed we were locked inside different cells, with no windows."

"Who's Jaffa were they?" Jack directed his question to Teal'c.

"I have not seen that symbol before. I am not aware of which goa'uld was portraying their god."

"How did you get out of there?"

"Bosco got me out." Cam volunteered.

"Cam and Bosco came for me. Then we got Teal'c out." Daniel looked puzzled as he explained how they got out, and walked back to the gate.

"Bosco?"

"Yes Sir."

"How did you get out?"

"The cell I was in had a few loose bricks around the bars. I knocked them loose, and squeezed out."

"How did you know where the gate was? As soon as we got out of there, you just started walking, and we followed." Daniel had asked on the planet and hadn't recieved an answer.

"I noticed the sun's path the day before, and where the hills lined the valley. It was just a lucky guess, Colonel."

To Jack it sounded all too easy. They had just escaped, walked out of a Jaffa camp, and walked several hours to the gate, without being pursued. He dismissed SG-1, asking for their complete reports by the morning. As Daniel turned to leave, Jack beckoned him to the office.

"Doesn't it seem, well, all too easy to you?"

"It didn't at the time. Now, yeah, I guess it sounds like a piece of cake."

"What do you make of it."

"I'm not too sure. If the Jaffa haven't seen their god in a while, maybe they let things slip a little. There wasn't that many of them either. Probably at most 30 Jaffa. I heard women and children through the walls, so there must be a village of them. When we left the building they placed us in, we didn't see any Jaffa."

"Did you get a good look at the village?"

"No. The building was on the outskirts, near a treed area. We ran straight for cover, expecting someone to notice us missing and start chasing us."

"But nothing?"

"No."

"That's a pretty big slip they made then. What about the mine?"

"We brought back pictures and some samples, but I think it might be tapped dry."

"I'm not sending anymore teams until we find out what's going on, or even if it's worth it."

"What's next?"

"For you guys? A few days off."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Take two days, get away from the base, and take Sam with you."

"Sam? Is she ok?"

"She's fine. She was just in a really pissy mood this morning."

"Why? What did you say to her?"

"Me! I didn't say anything."

"Sorry, I just assumed..." Daniel broke off as he tried to quell the laughter bubbling up at Jack's offended expression.

"She got an email from Mark. That's all she would tell me."

"I'll talk to her. Got any plans for the next two days?"

"Not yet. Depends on what happens."

"Well, if you wanna get everyone together for a night, just let me know."

"Sure. Sounds good. I'll figure something out."

"Oh, check in with Vala. She was pretty worried when you didn't stop by earlier."

"Sure. I'll see if she recognizes the Jaffa's symbol while I'm at it."

* * *

Sam turned at the knocking on her door. 

"Daniel. You ok?"

"Yeah, fine."

"What kept you?"

"Some Jaffa with security issues."

"You all make it out uninjured?"

"Yeah. We've got to hand in our mission reports tomorrow morning, then we've all got a few days off."

"That's good." Sam turned back towards her computer.

"You got any plans?"

"What? For today?"

"Tomorrow."

"I was going to stay and do some work on the delivery system. I'm not satisfied with how it performed, and there's got to be better way."

"Aren't you scheduled to take some time off?"

"I want to get this done."

"How is the house hunting going?"

"Not well. I can't drive so I can't go see places. Besides, I'm not spending much time at home right now anyways."

"I drive."

"Daniel, I can't ask you to cart me around, looking at houses."

"Yes you can. It could be fun. Call your agent. We'll look this weekend."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks Daniel."

"Don't mention it. I've gotta go write that report for Jack, and then I'm crashing. Not enough sleep last night."

"Vala was asking about you." Sam wore a sly grin as she dropped the comment.

"Jack mentioned it. I'll go see her before I go to my office. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night Daniel."

Daniel covered a yawn as he waved at Sam. She turned back to her computer, once again absorbed in her work.

* * *

Sam had to admit that house hunting with Daniel was fun. He knew her tastes and her dislikes, and managed to point out all the good details, and bad points, in each house they looked at. On Friday they had looked at 3 houses, all not possible future homes, and they had several lined up for that day. As Daniel drove up to the fourth house, Sam opened her eyes wide. At first glance, she knew this was her favourite so far. It was set a little further away from the road than the other houses, and had several trees surrounding the lot. 

Daniel parked, and grabbed Sam's crutches from the back seat. As they waited for the agent to arrive, they took the opportunity to explore the yard. There was a lush lawn surrounding the house, with flower beds along the front of the lot. Around the back, a wooden patio, only a foot or so off the ground, connecting to the living room with french doors. There was a two car garage around the back, and the trees kept the back yard quite private. The agent arrived, and let them in. Sam barely heard Daniel's comments as she looked around, loving everything she saw. The house was unlike any she'd lived in before. The living room and dining room had high ceilings, and the kitchen was very spacious. Upstairs, the bedrooms opened up to a walkway, that overlooked the living room and dining room. The basement was unfinished, so she could do as she pleased with it.

She barely heard Daniel or the agent ask her if she liked the place.

"I'm sorry?"

"We were asking what you thought."

"Daniel, I love this place."

"Enough to not look at the last one?"

"Yes. I want this house. What do you think?"

"Sam, it's up to you. You're the one who's going to be living here."

"I know. I just want a friends opinion."

"I think it's unique. It's only a few years old, so there shouldn't be any problems with the place. The only think I can see causing problems, is the size of the yard, and the maintenance it will need. That's going to be a lot of leaves to clean up in the fall."

"Yeah, but, it'd be worth it. I mean, this place is great! Just think of what I can do with the yard. And the garage. There's enough space for my car, space to work on it, and maybe a bike or two."

"Two?"

"Well, there's so many different ones I want."

"Fair enough. Should I go get the agent?"

"Yes."

Daniel left the living room to get the agent, who had left as the conversation started, to give them some privacy.

As they were driving back to Daniel's house, Daniel remembered Jack's comment about doing something one of the nights they had off.

"Sam, Jack mentioned doing something this weekend."

"What?"

"He didn't say. You up for it?"

"Yeah. Depending on what we do, I might need to stop by my place to get some clothes."

"Sure. Let me give him a call."

Daniel pulled out his cell phone and called Jack. Plans were made for dinner and drinks. Daniel drove Sam to her place, and waited patiently while she grabbed some new clothes from her closet. He had offered to help, but she declined, stating that she could get up and down a few flights of stairs with a backpack. As he was waiting, his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Daniel. Is she with you right now?"

"Hi Jack. How are you?"

"Daniel. Answer my question."

"No. She's up at her place getting some stuff for tonight. Why?"

"I just wanted to ask if you'd talked to her yet."

"We've spent the past day together. Of course we've talked."

"Daniel, stop avoiding the point here."

"What point?" Daniel knew what Jack was getting at, but couldn't miss the opportunity to aggravate him.

"Daniel, stop. I'll put it in plain English seeing as you're not as smart today as you usually are. Did you talk to Sam about whatever was buggin her the other day."

"No."

"No?"

"No. As in the opposite of yes."

"I know what it means. Why didn't you talk to her?"

"She didn't seem too bothered by it."

"So?"

"Well, I didn't see the point of dragging up whatever put her in a bad mood. She seems to have dealt with it on her own."

"Fine."

"Jack. What's with you?"

"Forget it."

"Ok. Are you coming with Teal'c?"

"No. He left for Dakara this morning. He'll be back in just under 48hrs, hopefully with some information for us. Did you talk to Vala last night?"

"Not for long. I woke her up when I finally got there, so I left quickly."

"When you're back on Monday, talk to her, find out what she knows, if she knows anything."

"Sure. Sam's back, so I'll talk to you tonight?" Sam had opened the back door, tossed her crutches and backpack onto the backseat, and hopped into the passenger seat.

"Who are you talking to?"

"I was talking to Jack, but he hung up on me."

"Ok, I'm good. Let's go."

* * *

Sam was surprised at the choice of restaurant. It definitely wasn't the usual casual dinner. Thankful she had a pair of dress pants that fit over her cast, she carefully navigated her way towards their table. Jack hadn't arrived yet, but she and Daniel ordered their drinks while they waited. It wasn't long before he arrived, and she couldn't help herself appreciate the way he looked. He was wearing a blue dress shirt, with no tie, a matching black pair of pants and jacket, and his hair was as messy as always.. The whole ensemble complimented him in ways that she couldn't put into words. He smiled as he sat down, and Sam felt butterflies start moving as his eyes settled on her. 

"What kept you?" Daniel inquired before Jack even sat down.

"Siler."

"Oh?"

"Just something with the iris."

"What's wrong with it?" Sam's interest peaked, and Jack refocused on her.

"Something about the manual control."

"Should I check on it on Monday?"

"If Siler hasn't fixed it by then, sure."

The waiter arrived to take Jack's drink order, and to suggest the chef's special. All three opened their menus so they could be ready to order when the waiter returned. Once their choices were made, and the order placed, the three carried an easy conversation, trying to stay away from discussing work.

Daniel brought up Sam's choice in house, and Jack inquired when she could be taking possession. Sam was unsure how long it would take, but explained the layout of the house. Jack told her that if she needed a hand moving, to give him a call. Daniel seconded that, as Sam thanked them. She had hoped that her cast would be off before she moved, but after seeing where she would be moving too, wanted to move as soon as she could. The conversation stayed on light subjects as the dinner ended.

"So, you guys up for anything else?"

"I can't eat another bite." Daniel patted his stomach to make his point.

"I'm not tired yet. What do you have in mind, Jack?"

"I dunno. Can't go too many places dressed like this."

"How about a few games of pool?"

"Daniel?" Jack knew that Sam enjoyed pool, but Daniel tended not to play when they went.

"Sure, why not. I just want to go home and change first."

"Me too." If she was playing pool, she wanted to get out of these clothes. Bending over a pool table to take a shot, in the shirt she was wearing, was going to give away quite a view.

"I've got a change in my rental. How 'bout I meet you guys there."

"Jack, why don't you come back to my place. That way you can change, and we'll only take one car, so if we have too much fun, we can get back to the other car in the morning."

"Sounds good to me. Sam?"

Sam nodded her agreement with the nights plans and dug in her purse for her wallet as the waiter approached with their bill. She watched as Daniel pulled out his wallet and Jack shook his head.

"It's on me guys."

"Jack." Sam and Daniel protested.

"Hey, I'm not down that often. Take advantage of this while you can."

Jack handed his card to the waiter, and told Daniel and Sam they could head out. He'd be at Daniel's shortly behind them, and figured that Sam would need a few extra minutes to change.

* * *

Sam rummaged through the clothes she had at Daniels. She cursed the cast on her leg for the millionth time, as most of her pants wouldn't fit over it. She grabbed a pair of jeans that had been cut from the knee down, to accommodate the cast, and a shirt. She changed quickly, tied her hair back, and went into the living room to wait on the boys. Daniel emerged first, and sat down beside her. 

"Hey Daniel, how long are we gonna be waitin on Carter?"

Jack emerged from the bathroom, and as soon as he saw Sam and Daniel waiting for him, the smirk vanished from his face. Sam couldn't help but laugh, while Daniel got her coat from the closet by the door.

"No giggling, Carter."

"Yes Sir."

"Hey, drop the sir. Why are you still laughing?"

"Just the expression on your face."

"Glad I can be a source of amusement for you Carter."

"Cut the Carter crap, Jack." Jack knew she wasn't mad at the use of her last name, as she spluttered the words out between laughing.

"C'mon guys. You ready yet?"

Daniel called from down the hallway. Jack followed Sam out the door, and shut the door behind him.

* * *

On the way back, Jack insisted on stopping at a liquor store to get some beer, as he assumed Daniel wouldn't have any at his place. Daniel had protested the thought of more alcohol, but told Jack he was more than welcome to crash on the couch for the night. Once back at his house, Jack opened three beers, and sat down infront of the TV. Sam grabbed one of the beers and sat down next to him. Daniel took the offered bottle from Jack, sat down on the couch and drank. 

Sam couldn't remember the last time she had drunk this much. She sat there, feeling her head start to swim, but eagerly drank the beer, and enjoying the evening. Coming to think of it, she hadn't seen Jack drink that much in a long time. She remembered the last time they had drank, many many years ago. It was after he had the ancient information downloaded into his brain for the second time. She had gone over to his house, to talk to him, but Daniel and Teal'c had shown up, before she could say what she went to say. After General Hammond had left, the three of them had continued to drink, Teal'c abstaining.

Sam felt a nudge and turned to Jack. He was pointing at Daniel, who had fallen asleep on the chair.

"You should wake him, Jack."

"Me? Why me?"

"You're closer, and if I have to get up, you're going to have to get up to get my crutches anyways."

"Good point."

Jack leaned over the arm of the couch, and poked Daniel hard. Daniel's eyes shot open, and he glared at Jack.

"If you're going to sleep here, I'm taking your bed Danny."

"Thanks Jack. I'm heading to bed."

Daniel stood up and staggered to his room. He returned shortly with a few pillows and two blankets, tossed them on the chair he had vacated, and stumbled back to his room.

"Night Daniel." Jack called to him.

"You tired?"

"Nah. I'm gonna be up for a while. You?"

"I think I need another beer."

"Here, let me grab it. You pick out a movie or something on TV to watch."

Sam watched as Jack left for the kitchen, and flipped through the channels, trying to find something interesting.

"No science shows." Jack had returned with two more beers. He placed them on the coffee table, and wandered over to Daniel's dvd's.

"Fine. What do you want to watch then?"

"Nothing sappy."

"No horror."

"I doubt Daniel has anything like that. Here, how bout Executive Decision."

"Never heard of it."

"It's about a geek and a group of commando's." Jack grinned as he remembered seeing the movie after he had come back from Abydos.

"Sure."

Jack put the movie in, and grabbed the pillows and blankets from the chair, dropping them on the floor closer to where he was sitting. He put a pillow on the coffee table, and dragged it closer to Sam.

"Put your leg on that. I always found it more comfortable."

"You broke your leg?"

"Years ago. Not as bad as yours, just a fracture."

"Thanks Jack."

As the movie started playing, Jack jumped up and turned off the lights, after grabbing a few more beers from the fridge.

"Don't want to have to get up in the middle, and I don't like the glare off the lights on the TV." He replied to Sam's questioning look, placing the beer on the table.

* * *

Daniel woke up with a nagging headache, and wandered to the bathroom for some asprin. He headed into the kitchen to get some water, and stopped dead in his tracks. The TV was on some sports network, with no sound, and Sam was sleeping in Jack's arms. Daniel peered at Jack's face to check that he was asleep. He could see a slight smile on Jack's face, a look of peace on Sam's from the light off the TV, and both were fast asleep. Sam's head was on Jack's chest, her arm around his waist. His left arm was behind her head, and the other one rested on the arm around his waist. He wandered back to his room, water forgotten, grinning. 

_AN: HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!!!!!!!_


	22. Chapter 22

Sam woke, feeling uncomfortable. Her neck was stiff again, and she was lying awkwardly. She tried to push herself into a more upright position, but when she put her weight on her left hand, she heard a grunt. She froze, not wanting to wake him. Carefully she untangled herself from his arms and moved her leg off the table. She was about to get up to grab her crutches when he stirred.

"Where you goin?" He slurred his words, not quite awake, and still under the effects of alcohol.

"Bathroom." She whispered back to him.

He nodded and closed his eyes again, falling asleep immediately.

Once back in Daniel's spare room, Sam sank onto the bed relieved that Jack hadn't woken up fully. That would've been an awkward moment in the morning, waking up in each others arms. She changed for bed as quietly as she could, and climbed under the sheets. Closing her eyes, she remembered the warmth of him, holding her close, the feeling that it was right.

* * *

Daniel woke up early, and groped for his glasses. 6am. He knew he wasn't going to be able to fall back asleep, so he got up, and tiptoed into the kitchen, needing something solid in his stomach. As he passed the living room, he glanced towards the couch, and saw Jack's head on one end, and his feet hanging over the other. Daniel assumed that Sam was in her room, and wondered what had occurred. He hadn't heard anything, but that didn't mean much. He had been dead to the world, and nothing short of someone firing a gun right next to his head would've woken him up. 

He turned on the stove light, so as not to disturb Jack, and started the coffee going. As he waited for the pot to fill, he sat down at the table, and dozed off.

* * *

Jack woke with a start when something smashed in the kitchen. He sat up, threw the blanket off himself, and stood up. The second he was vertical, he felt a dull throbbing behind his eyes, signaling how much he had drunk the night before. He walked towards the light in the kitchen to find Daniel picking up the remains of a cup. 

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Time?"

"730am."

"You're up early?"

"Well, I went to bed earlier than you, Jack."

"I guess."

"Coffee?"

"Aspirin?"

"Sure. I'll go grab you some."

Daniel grabbed the aspirin, while Jack pulled out two mugs and turned the coffee maker off.

"Here." Daniel passed the bottle to Jack, as Jack poured the coffee.

"Thanks."

"So, what you doing today?"

"First, shower. Then, I gotta go get my car."

"There's towels in the bathroom, and I'll take you to your car."

"Nah, don't worry about it. I want to get to the base."

"Why? They can call you if they need you."

"I didn't bring another change of clothes for today."

"Oh." Daniel didn't buy Jack's excuse, but didn't think he was going to get much more of an explanation.

"Plus, I've gotta check on how Siler's doing with the iris, then there's your reports to go over, and a few calls to make."

"Calls?"

"About the tapped dry mine."

"What about it?"

"There is the opinion out there, that the Jaffa are there for a reason, most likely the mine."

"They want us to go back?" Daniel wasn't too happy about that, and raised his voice.

"Sshhh."

"Why?"

"Sam's still sleeping. Don't want to wake her."

"Why not? I didn't realise we were discussing secrets here."

"We're not. I don't see the point of waking her."

Jack placed his cup by the sink, and left Daniel in the kitchen. Daniel heard the shower running and went to go get changed. If he was going to be driving Jack across town, he would rather not be in his pajamas.

* * *

Sam woke to a quiet house. She slid out of bed, grabbed her crutches and wandered into the living room. Daniels keys were gone, and she looked out the window. So was his car. She assumed that he had taken Jack back to his car, which had been left at the pool hall. She went into the kitchen, and started a new pot of coffee. She hadn't been sitting there long when she heard Daniel return. 

"Hi."

"Morning Sam. How you feeling?"

"Like I had too much to drink last night. Coffee?"

"That's a dumb question. Hungry?"

"Yeah."

"I've got bread and eggs."

"Uh, just toast for me."

"Sounds good."

"So what time did you get up this morning?"

"The first, second or third time?"

"Not a good night?"

"I got up around four, then again at six. I fell asleep here at the table until seven."

"When did Jack get up?"

"Just after seven. I woke him up."

"Why?"

"I dropped a mug, and he woke up. He said he needed to get back to the base."

"Oh."

"Sam, did something happen last night after I crashed?"

"Not much. I fell asleep on the couch somewhere in the middle of the movie. I woke up uncomfortable and went to bed. Why?"

"No reason."

Daniel handed Sam a plate of toast and pulled jam out of the fridge. If she felt like talking to him, she knew she could anytime, so he wasn't going to push it right now.

* * *

Sam was glad to be back at the SGC Monday morning. Sunday had gone by much slower than the usual day. Probably because she hadn't gone out. Both her and Daniel had stayed in, watching movies, cleaning up, laundry. The usual mundane Sunday tasks. She had a suspicion that Daniel had seen her and Jack on the couch the previous night. He hadn't said anything specific, and she was grateful for that. Had he mentioned whatever he had seen, Sam didn't know how she would've reacted. 

She kicked herself again for allowing this to happen. It wasn't something she had planned on, and cursed herself for allowing old feelings to cloud her mind. What the hell had he been thinking? It wasn't that long ago they couldn't even be in the same room together, and now they were sleeping in each others arms. A shudder ran through her body as she remembered the hurt they had caused each other. She had put it behind her when she left the SGC. Even when she thought he was dead, she'd moved on. She forced herself to push any feelings for Jack, other than friendship away, as far as she could. They were friends, end of story, and nothing was going to ruin that again. If he brought it up, well, she'd just have to pass that sentiment over to him, and hope he felt the same.

* * *

"Teal'c, any luck?" Jack waited as Teal'c walked off the ramp towards them. 

"The council was unable to determine the goa'uld for the symbol."

"Damn."

"However, several of them have seen this symbol before."

"Really? Where?" Daniel pushed in front of Jack to talk to Teal'c.

"The name is not known, but a goa'uld known as Qetesh once ruled there."

"Qetesh? Why does that sound familiar?"

"Jack, Vala was host to Qetesh." Daniel jumped up and ran out of the room, Jack and Teal'c following behind.

"Daniel. Wait."

"Jack, she's got to know something."

"Did you ask her yet?"

"No. I just got here when Teal'c arrived. Haven't had chance yet."

"Bring her up to the briefing room. It's a little roomier up there than in her personal room."

Daniel could see his point, and indicated to the guard to let him in. Jack and Teal'c went back the way they came.

* * *

Cam headed towards the briefing room after receiving a call from General O'Neill. He arrived and took a seat opposite Teal'c. 

"So what's going on?"

"We're just waiting for Daniel and Vala to arrive. Where's Bosco?"

"He was in the gym the last time I saw him."

"I sent an airman to find him. I wanted you all here so we can try to figure out whose Jaffa were on that planet."

"Hey." Daniel arrived with Vala, followed by an airman. Jack dismissed the man as Vala and Daniel took seats next to Teal'c.

"I guess we're starting without Bosco." Cam commented.

"Why am I here?"

"Vala, we were captured by Jaffa bearing a symbol of a goa'uld we don't know or recognize. We're hoping you could help us." Daniel filled her in on what had happened as Cam slid a drawing of the symbol down towards her.

"This is the symbol of Neith."

"You know this for sure?" Jack hadn't thought Vala would be of much help. She had already surpassed his expectations.

"Yes."

"Neith? I know that name. Hang on." Daniel ran from the briefing room.

"I have not heard of a goa'uld by that name O'Neill."

"How do you know of this goa'uld, Vala?" Cam stared at her watching for signs she could be lying.

"As Qetesh, I knew Neith."

"You knew him?"

"Her."

"Did you know that her Jaffa were going to be on the planet we sent SG-1 to?" Jack demanded.

"How could I know? I'm not told anything around here. Even if you had told me, it's been a long time since I was in the loop."

"So you're saying you can't help us?"

"No, what I'm saying is, I might be able to help you. I just don't know what exactly I will remember."

"Vala, this isn't the time for games."

"Jack, can I call you Jack? After the Tok'ra removed Qetesh from me, I started loosing her memories."

"Can you remember anything?" Cam was still staring at her.

"Yes. I still remember some things." The expression on Vala's face turned to sadness, and Jack could only imagine some of the things she had seen.

"I've got it." Daniel ran back into the room out of breath, carrying a large book.

"Got what?"

"Neith. She was originally a god of war and the hunt, but later, she became the goddess of weaving."

"And this helps us how?" Jack was used to Daniel's ramblings, but he wanted to get to a point.

"Tanit was the goddess of fertility. In Ancient Egyptian, Tanit's name means, Land of Neith."

"So the two are related?"

"In a way, yes. According to mythology, Tanit was the consort of Ba'al, as was Qetesh." Jack cringed as Vala looked down at the table, embarrassed.

"So you did know her."

"Yes. I did. Along with Tanit, and Athena, we plotted against Ba'al, and failed before we started."

"Athena?"

"Yes. Qetesh knew Athena better than the others, but Qetesh betrayed her."

"How?"

"Athena told Qetesh about an unimaginable amount of treasure, supposedly left behind by the ancients. Qetesh betrayed her, and kept the information to herself."

"Did you find the treasure?" Daniel was curious. He had never heard this much of Vala's past.

"No. Qetesh was removed from me by the Tok'ra before I was able to look for it."

"Do you have any memory of the information?"

"No. Nothing." Daniel looked closely at Vala. She was upset, and for some reason, it bothered him. He had never seen her like this before.

"So why haven't any of us heard of this Neith before?"

"It is possible O'Neill, that there were many minor goa'uld that have kept quiet for many years."

"But Teal'c, they're goa'ulds. How can they lay low?"

"When Ra was killed, the infighting between the system lords reached a new level. Many minor goa'uld stayed away and left for their own worlds. They stayed there, ruling their people, waiting for the others to kill each other off. It is believed that many of them were allied with each other, yet we have found little proof of this."

"Teal'c, if all these minor goa'ulds are out there, why haven't they emerged before now? Anubis has been gone for years, and many of the other system lords were killed around the same time."

"Daniel's got a point. They should be crawling out the woodwork by now."

"Sir, what if they didn't know about the defeat of Anubis?" Cam was on the edge of his seat.

"Exactly."

"Vala?"

"Many of those that Qetesh knew about, had not been in contact with anyone for hundreds of years. They buried their stargates, and only kept a few ships capable of interplanetary travel. Tanit was one, until she somehow found out that Athena was in Ba'al's good graces. She contacted Qetesh, and we paid a visit to Ba'al."

"When was this?"

"Not long before the Tok'ra removed Qetesh from me."

"So, what happened to these other goa'uld?" Jack was getting lost with all the names, and wanted to bring this to an end.

"I don't know. I went back to my homeworld shortly after Athena told me about the treasure. They could still be with Ba'al."

"All three of them?"

"Athena, definitely. She always allied herself with those that were in power at the moment. The other two, who knows."

"Teal'c, you ever heard of any of this?"

"I have heard of Athena, but none of the others. It is possible that they are with Ba'al."

"Could one of them have been behind the explosion at Sam's old lab?"

"If Ba'al is still on Earth, they could be here with him, and likely working together."

"Sir, have we had any leads on Ba'al?"

"No. He's keeping a very low profile, or he's headed elsewhere in the galaxy."

"So where does that leave us?"

"Teal'c, can you head back to Dakara and find out if anyone knows anything about the whereabouts of any of these goa'uld, including Ba'al."

"As you wish O'Neill." Teal'c bowed his head, and walked out of the room.

"Daniel, we need to find out if any of these goa'uld are on Earth. Go back to the company that Ba'al associated himself with, see if you can dig up anything."

"And me? Do I get to do anything?" Vala had a hopeful look on her face and pouted at Daniel.

"Jack, she could be helpful."

"What about going back to some of the planets Qetesh ruled, Sir? We might find something there that could help us." Cam was raring to go.

"Do any of them have a gate?"

"Yes."

"Cam, you, Bosco and SG-3 get ready. We'll send through a UAV and if it's okay to do so, go check it out. When you find Bosco, I want to see him before you head off-world."

"Yes Sir." Cam left to ready the team.

"What about me? I should go with them."

"Vala, perhaps that's not the best idea."

"Daniel, don't be silly. These people know me. They're less likely to shoot at you if I'm there to tell them not to."

"She's got a point Daniel."

"Yes, Daniel. I've got a point." Vala was once again smiling ear to ear.

"Vala, I'm sending you with SG-1. They will have orders to shoot you if you do anything that endangers them. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Daniel, take her to get some gear, then I want you and Carter to find Ba'al, if he's on Earth."

"What are you going to do?"

"A lot of phone calls."

Jack grinned as Daniel and Vala left the briefing room.

_AN: Hope everyone had a great New Years. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed the last few chapters. Hopefully the PM's will be up and running soon, as I did send a few._


	23. Chapter 23

Jack sauntered into Daniel's office, and took a seat next to Carter.

"So, anything yet?"

"Jack, we've only just started. Give us a few hours."

"Yes Daniel. Carter, any ideas?"

"No, Sir. Did they head off yet?"

"Yeah, just left."

"Bosco show up?"

"Yeah. Cam sent him to my office as soon as he found him."

"Where was he?"

"Said he got a phone call. The alarm on his house went off, so he went to check it out. Took longer than he expected."

"You check it out?" Sam knew that Jack didn't believe Bosco's story.

"Yes. He signed out, but the alarm company hasn't got back to me yet."

"Why did you let him go?" Daniel stopped looking at the computer to focus on Jack.

"I called the guards at the gate, and confirmed he signed out, and let him go, with a reprimand. I didn't think to call the alarm company until after he left."

"How long do they have?"

"I told them to check in within 12hrs to let us know if they found anything."

"Jack, do you have any of the files on Ba'al's attempt to blow up that building?" Sam had been scribbling notes on a pad frantically.

"Yes, but they're in D.C. You need them?"

"I just want to take a look at them."

"I'll get them sent over for you. You guys need anything else?"

"We'll let you know, Jack." Daniel turned back to the computer as Jack left the office.

* * *

Sam rubbed her eyes and thanked Daniel for pouring her another cup of coffee. She turned around to look at the clock on the wall. 0100. Jack should've heard back from the team on P8X 412 by now. 

"Sam."

"Yes?"

"Remember when we tried to capture Ba'al on Earth?"

"Yes. There was a TV interview at the same time that he was spotted at the hotel. Did anyone ever look into that?"

"Agent Barrett did. They found a man around the hotel who looked very much like Ba'al. We can only assume that he was hired to distract us."

"Did he talk?"

"No. He died shortly after being apprehended."

"From?"

"Poison."

"Goa'uld?"

"No."

"So why bring that up?"

"There's something here in a newspaper from England."

Sam scooted over to look at the article on Daniel's computer. She scanned the article and looked at Daniel when she was done.

"That's impossible."

"I know. There's no way he was in England the same time that he was on live TV here in the States."

"Another look alike?"

"There's two pages. Photo's on the second."

Sam clicked the mouse to view the second page. There was a picture of Ba'al, standing in front of a new building. The caption indicated that Mr. Cliff was standing in front of a new office building that he had contracted for.

"That's him."

"How do we explain that he was in the States giving a live interview, and on the same day, in England giving a newspaper interview. Both were clearly him, and unless he's got a ship in orbit to get him from the two points in a few seconds, I can't see a way to explain it."

"What if there's more than one of him?"

"You mean, cloning, Daniel? Surely you aren't suggesting that he cloned himself."

"Why not? There's got to be a race out there, besides the Asgard, that know how to clone themselves."

"For what purpose? So he can open office buildings in London, and give TV interviews here?"

"Sam, it's Ba'al. He could be up to anything."

"Wait, what about Harlan?"

"Harlan? That crazy guy who turned us into androids?"

"Yes."

"Harlan buried his gate after our copies were killed. We checked several times to make sure."

"But Cronus' Jaffa knew about the copies. What if Ba'al got that information?"

"Why would he need more of himself? He's not been heard of since the building incident. Even the Free Jaffa haven't seen or heard of him in almost a year."

"I don't know. He must either be telling the truth on that interview about wanting to stay on Earth, as a law abiding citizen, or he's planning something, biding his time."

"I'm going to do a search on his new name, Mr. Cliff. See if anything pops up."

"I'll go fill in Jack."

* * *

Sam arrived at the control room as the gate connected from off world. She smiled as Teal'c emerged, and went to the briefing room. She assumed that's where Teal'c and Jack would be, and it still took her some time to navigate around the spiral staircase with the crutches. She had just taken a seat when the two men arrived. 

"Sam. What are you doing here?"

"I came to fill you in on some stuff me 'n' Daniel dug up. Hi Teal'c."

"Samantha Carter. O'Neill, I have discussed with several members of the council what we discovered yesterday."

"And?"

"They are aware of Athena and her connections to Ba'al. She has only allied herself with him, and has not attempted any action since."

"When was this?" Sam was trying to piece together a time line of Ba'al's activities.

"A year or two at most since the fall of Anubis."

"What about the other two. Tanit and, er, Nith?" Sam smiled as Jack screwed up the unfamiliar name.

"Neith's Jaffa, while never been seen, have been heard of on occasion, but have not engaged the Free Jaffa in battle. We do not have any information on Tanit."

"Thanks Teal'c. What do you have Sam?"

"Teal'c, if a goa'uld could clone himself, do you think he would?"

"Perhaps. If there were many of one goa'uld, it would make it easier for him to control and conquor worlds."

"Sam?"

"Jack, Daniel found a newspaper article from England that interviewed Ba'al on the same day as he gave the TV interview here in the States."

"Another lookalike?"

"No, there was a picture. It's him."

"And you think he cloned himself?"

"It's possible. The other theory is a copy."

"Isn't that the same as cloning?"

"Harlan."

"Harlan?"

"I believe Samantha Carter is referring to P3X 989, O'Neill."

"Harlan! What does he have to do with this. He buried that gate. We tried dialing it to make sure, many times. That was years ago!"

"What if Ba'al discovered that technology and used it on himself."

"If he did copy himself in that manner, he would not keep the goa'uld symbiote. It is possible that such a procedure would eliminate the presence of the symbiote, and the copy would be of the host."

"Damn. Forgot about that. Is it possible that it could be modified to copy the goa'uld's consciousness, and not the hosts?"

"I am unsure."

"Sam, how many of these Ba'al's are we looking at here?"

"Right now, possibly two. That's only here on Earth. There could be many still out there and we have no way to find out how many, or where."

"Bra'tac will contact me if the continuing Jaffa search turns up any information on Athena, Neith, Tanit, or Ba'al."

"Thanks. Teal'c. Carter, get Daniel to talk to the person who interviewed Ba'al in England. Teal'c, when SG-1 returns from P8X 412, I want you to rejoin them, and go back to Dakara. Carter, see what else you can turn up on Ba'al." Teal'c rose and wished them both goodnight, before leaving the room.

"Uh, Sir. I wanted to ask if you heard anything from Cam."

"They checked in about 3 hrs ago."

"Did they find anything yet?"

"No. Cam just kept bitching about some play, and Vala."

"What about her?"

"Apparently these folks on the planet didn't know that Qetesh was killed. She's currently posing as a goa'uld, and some of the locals put on a play for her."

"I bet Cam's thrilled with that."

"Oh, he's real happy. I told him to wait and see how things go."

"When are they due back?"

"I gave Cam another 24hrs, then I want them back at the base, unless they've found something."

"Alright. Well, I'm off to bed. Night, Sir."

"Carter, wait."

"Yes?"

"What's with the sir?"

"What's with the Carter?"

"I told you, old habit."

"Same here."

"Look, Sam, about the other night."

"Don't worry about it."

"No, Sam. I am sorry."

"For?"

"It's kinda lame, but I had too much to drink."

"That's it?" Sam stared at him in disbelief.

"What d'ya mean, that's it?"

"Never mind. Good night."

Sam stood up, grabbed her crutches and started to make her way out of the room.

"Sam, wait.."

"Wait for what? I've got to be up early. Good night Jack."

"Sam..."

She wasn't turning back. Jack shoved the chair back to the table and stormed into his office, slamming the door. All he wanted to do was apologize for his actions. How had that gone so wrong? He had a vague memory of her getting up and telling him she had to go to the bathroom. He had assumed when she didn't come back, that he had been out of line. He wanted to make sure that their new friendship wasn't going to be ruined again, but looked like he screwed up again.

His mind wandered back to that night. She had fallen asleep just under halfway through the movie, and her head had fallen onto his shoulder. He had moved his arm to the top of the couch, and when she had moved closer, his arm had gone behind her head, and around her shoulders. He had watched the entire movie, without seeing it, the thought of her sleeping there distracting him. Once the movie was over, he had flipped to a channel showing the day's hockey highlights and dozed off.

He couldn't help the feelings that arose in him that night. He thought he had banished all those notions of Sam when she had married Pete. The years of no contact had helped him forget his feelings for her, but now he remembered.

He wondered what had happened between them. He knew they were divorced, from Daniel, who claimed he didn't know anything else. Most of all, he wanted to know exactly what she thought of himself.

* * *

Daniel looked up from the computer when he heard the office door close. 

"Hi."

"Hi. You look surprised to see me."

"I was expecting Sam."

"Oh."

"Yeah, she came in here after talking to you, grabbed a few notes, and left. I assumed she'd be back by now."

"She told me she was going to bed."

"When was that?"

"Oh, a little over an hour ago."

"Jack."

"Yes, Daniel?"

"What's up?"

"Nothing. Why?"

"You've got this 'I need to talk about something, but I don't know how' look."

"There's a look for that?"

"Jack. Did you and Sam talk?"

"About what?"

"I don't know. Whatever it is thats got you two in some weird mood."

"Weird mood?"

"Are you going to answer me, or just repeat the question?"

"We talked."

"And?"

"It didn't go too well."

"In what way?"

"Well, she's pissed. I think."

"You think?"

"She kinda stomped out on me. Well, figuratively speaking."

"Jack, does this have anything to do with the night you were at my house?"

"Maybe."

"I saw you two."

"When?"

"On the couch. I woke up and went to the kitchen."

"Oh."

"Jack, what did you say to her?"

"I apologized."

"For what?"

"Well, I was out of line that night."

"By falling asleep on the same couch?"

"Daniel, you saw us. It wasn't two people falling asleep on opposite ends of the couch. Besides, she woke up, and left."

"So what did you say?"

"I told her I was sorry, and that I was drunk."

"You told her that! No wonder she's mad."

"What! I was trying to explain..."

"And in the process, basically told her that you only did that because you were drunk."

"I didn't mean it like that."

"That's probably how she took it."

"Now what?"

"I'll talk to her tomorrow. Give her a few days, then talk to her again."

"I'm gone in three days."

"Oh. Forgot about that. I'll talk to her tomorrow and let you know."

"Thanks Daniel."

"Jack, just do me one favour."

"Depending on what it is, sure."

"Just figure out what it is you want from Sam. Friendship or more.'

"Daniel, I've walked that road once before."

"But it's different now. Before you say anything to Sam, do her that courtesy, and know what it is you want. If it's just friendship, stick to it. If it's something more, or less, you need to find a way to tell her that. No pissing around anymore. She's been hurt enough."

With that Daniel turned off the computer, grabbed his half full mug of cold coffee, and turned off the desk light.

"Lock the door behind you when you leave, Jack."

_AN: This story has become much more different than I had planned. How do you think it's doing? Is it getting confusing? Too many characters? Hope it's good, as I'm having fun writing it!!!!_


	24. Chapter 24

Sam woke up confused and panicked. She sat up, turned on the light, and took several deep breaths. It had only been a dream. Glancing at the clock she noticed it was only 0630. Knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep much after that dream, she changed and headed off to the infirmary. She had been told to report to the infirmary that afternoon and have the cast removed. Seeing as she was already up, she wondered if they would do it earlier. A brace would be a significant improvement over the cast, at least she could scratch her leg that way.

To Sam's surprise, Carolyn was already there, and waved her in. Sam took a seat next to one of the beds, as Carolyn finished with another patient.

"You're up early."

"You too."

"Yeah, thought I'd get a head start on the rush."

"Want the cast off that bad?"

"Yes, please."

"We'll take this one off now, then you'll need a couple of x-rays. If everything checks out, we'll fit you with a brace."

"Thanks Carolyn."

Dr. Lam signaled a nurse to go with Sam to remove the cast, and take Sam to get the x-rays done. In less than an hour, Sam was getting ready to leave the infirmary, minus the cast. Even though the leg was in a brace, she would still need to use the crutches for a week, perhaps longer, and would begin physio immediately. Fortunately there was someone on base to help her with that, so if she stayed to work, she could continue with the therapy, and not have to worry about finding someone to drive her.

* * *

Hungry, she headed to the commissary, and took a seat opposite Daniel, who had his nose buried in a cup of coffee. 

"Morning, Daniel."

"Mornin."

"How long you been up?"

"Not long enough."

"Ah."

"Sorry, Sam. Just got some stuff on my mind."

"Feel like sharing?"

"Yes, but let me get it straight in my head first."

"What's it about? Something happen last night after I went to bed?"

"Sorta."

"You find something on Ba'al? Why didn't you get me?"

"It wasn't that."

"Then what?"

"Jack stopped by."

"And that has to do with this how?"

"We talked."

"About?"

"Umm, well..." Daniel stalled, trying to find a way to explain his and Jack's discussion, without betraying Jack's unspoken trust that he wouldn't say too much.

"Me?"

"Umm, yeah, kinda."

"I figured."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We had words before I left the briefing room."

"Words?"

"A few. What did he say to you?"

"He said you'd left, pissed at him."

"I was."

"Why?"

"That night we fell asleep on your couch, I woke up and we were in each others arms. He claimed he was sorry, and he only did that because he had too much to drink. How is that supposed to make me feel? I'm not a toy he can have whenever he wants."

"Sam, calm down." Daniel glanced around, as several heads turned to look at what was going on.

"Sorry. I'm still a little mad."

"At Jack, or yourself."

"I'm not sure. Daniel, where's this going?"

"What do you think of Jack?"

"What do I think of him? What do you mean?"

"How do you feel about him."

"He's a friend."

"Is that all?"

"Daniel." Sam's voice held a warning, but Daniel ignored it.

"Think about it. How do you feel towards him. Not now, in general."

"Excuse me. Dr. Jackson, you are required in the infirmary." An airman interrupted them to Sam's relief.

"Ok. Sam, we'll continue later. Think about what I asked you."

Daniel left Sam staring at her breakfast.

* * *

"Jack, what's going on?" 

"Daniel, there's been a problem with Vala."

"Now what did she do?"

"One of the villagers overheard her talking to Cam. They know she's not a god. They've imprisoned Cam, Vala, and SG-3."

"What about Bosco?"

"He's here. They sent him back to tell us what's going on. You need to talk to him."

Daniel entered the infirmary and saw Bosco, covered in bruises and lacerations.'

"What happened?"

"I was tied up and beaten, before they escorted me to the gate." Bosco spoke thickly through a split lip.

"The others?"

"Locked up."

"What about their weapons?"

"Daniel, wait. Bosco, start from the play." Jack hadn't heard the full story yet, and wanted to know exactly what had happened.

"After the play ended, Vala dismissed the villagers. Colonel Mitchell asked her how long she was going to keep up the charade of being their god. That continued for most of the evening. At dinner time, several villagers brought us food, but wouldn't come close to us. Vala explained that they were afraid of the weapons we had, so we took them off, and placed them on the ground next to us."

"Did you see the villagers with weapons?"

"No, Sir. Nothing more dangerous than rocks and wood. They seemed like a peaceful bunch, and Vala explained that they were never tortured by her when she was there."

"Please, continue."

"Yes, Dr. Jackson. Sometime in the early morning, Colonel Mitchell and Vala started arguing again. The Colonel wanted Vala to tell the villagers the truth. One of them must've overheard us. When the morning meal was served, several villagers had concealed zat's under their robes, and shot us. We were placed in separate cells, but there wasn't enough. I was tied up outside, and the villagers tried to beat information out of me. They untied me, and took me to the stargate. I was told to dial home, and come back with Dr. Jackson. Anyone else would be killed as soon as they stepped out of the gate."

"Me? Why me?"

"I don't know. I wasn't able to talk to the others before I was returned here."

"Thanks Bosco. Get some rest. I'll be back later."

Jack and Daniel exited the infirmary and walked to Jack's office.

"Daniel, what d'ya think?"

"We've got to go back."

"I know that. Why did they ask for you?"

"Vala? She would only ask for me. I've got to go."

"Ok, I'll get SG's.."

"No, Jack. You heard Bosco. Anyone else will be killed."

"I'm not sending you alone. I'll get some teams ready. We can use the MALP to see if there's anyone guarding the gate."

"I'll be ready in a few minutes."

* * *

Daniel ran down to his lab, and found Sam sitting in front of the computer. 

"What's going on?"

"There's been a problem on P8X 412."

"What happened?"

"Cam, Vala and SG-3 were captured. They sent Bosco back to get me."

"You? Why?"

"I don't know. I'm heading out after we check the MALP telematry."

"Anything I can do?"

"Keep looking for Ba'al. This whole situation doesn't sound right to me."

"You think he's behind this?"

"Who knows."

"Ok. Be careful."

"I will."

Daniel walked out of the door, and turned back inside to make one final comment.

"Sam, about earlier. We will continue when I get back. Just please, think about what it is you want from Jack, and don't say anything to him about it until after I get back."

Daniel ran down the corridor before Sam could say a word.

* * *

Once the gate was dialed, Jack ordered the camera on the MALP to sweep the area. They watched as the video revealed the gate guarded by at least 20 men, all bearing some kind of weapon. Jack beckonned Daniel over. 

"This is Dr. Jackson."

"You may come through. They are waiting." The man on the screen brandished his zat around, unsure of where the voice was coming from.

"What do you need me for?"

"The one known as Qetesh requests your presence. If anyone else comes with you, they will be killed."

"And if I don't come?"

"The others will be killed. Her first."

Daniel watched as one of the men shot towards the MALP and the connection died.

"Daniel.."

"Jack, I've got to go."

"I know. Take two radios. Hide one. They might not know to look for a second one. If they take your GDO, go to the Alpha site or another planet where they have one. Dial home from there. Your iris code will be locked out in 24hrs unless we hear from you before."

"Got it. Anything else?"

"Don't get yourself killed."

"Thanks Jack."

Daniel walked down to the gateroom, and through the event horizon.

_AN: Thanks for the great reviews!!! Sorry about the delay, work's been a little tough lately. More as soon as I get it written._


	25. Chapter 25

"Have you heard from Daniel?"

"Yes. He just checked in."

"What's going on?"

"The villagers are performing a 'Mal Doran' for Vala and the others."

"A what?"

"I think it's some kind of trial."

"Trial? Why did they need Daniel and isn't that Vala's last name?"

"Something about being allowed someone to talk for them. Vala suggested Daniel, so they sent Bosco back to get him. From what Daniel said, a Mal Doran was created by Qetesh and used when she ruled there"

"How long's this going to take? Are they all ok?"

"Everyone's fine, well, locked up, but nothing like what happened to Bosco. As for how long, I have no idea. Daniel's supposed to check in again at 2200."

"Ah. So you're just stopping by to let me know?"

"Yeah." Jack looked uncomfortable standing in the doorway, but Sam couldn't bring herself to offer him a seat.

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

Sam watched Jack leave out of the corner of her eye, Daniel's last words to her, on her mind. What did Jack want from her, and what did she want from him? She turned back to her computer, determined not to think about that at work.

* * *

Sam waited impatiently for Scott. He had offered to drive her home for a few hours, as she wanted to do a little packing, and grab some more clothes for the next few days. Scott was now running an hour late. She had been so engrossed in her work that she hadn't noticed that he was already late, but packed up what she was doing anyways. She picked up the phone and dialed Vikki again, hoping someone would answer this time. Once again the phone rang, and rang. Grabbing her crutches she headed down the corridor to her lab.

* * *

Jack was bored, despite the amount of work he had piled up on his desk. He was concerned for Daniel, but as there was nothing he could do about it right now, had taken to pacing around his office instead. There were only two other teams, besides SG's 1 and 3, offworld right now. Both those teams were visiting friendly planets, trying to find out if there had been any sight of their rogue goa'uld, and neither was due back for another 24hrs. His mind went back to the conversation he had with Daniel the night before. 

He could see why Sam was upset, and truly hadn't meant for his words to be taken that way. He had only been trying to act nonchalant about the whole situation, guessing that was probably what Sam wanted. Now he wasn't sure what he wanted.

He had loved her, years ago, but the regulations were there. He had spoken from his heart during the za'tarc test, and had meant every word for years. When she married Pete, he had been happy she had found someone, but upset because it wasn't him. Pushing his feelings aside, he had tried to move on. He thought he had done quite well, until he saw her in D.C. Even sweaty, and in jogging pants, she was a beautiful sight. It had thrown him off balance, but he had once again tried to put it behind him, thinking that he would never see her again. How wrong he had been.

He hadn't been able to get her out of his mind, no matter how hard he tried. He had kicked himself for allowing her to believe that he was dead. Had he done the right thing? Should he have contacted her, or at least replied to some of her emails and letters? He thought he had been doing himself a favour, but now he wasn't too sure.

When she had arrived at the SGC, things between them had not been good. They had been cold and stand offish to each other, and he had continued to feel angry at himself and her. Fortunately, that had changed. When Sam had been injured in the explosion at her lab, something between them had changed. He didn't know exactly what, but he was glad it had, and guessed that Daniel might've had something to do with it. Ever since then, their friendship had evolved. It wasn't the same as it had been, but different in a good way.

That night at Daniel's had changed everything again. He hadn't meant for anything to happen, but that much alcohol always caused some interesting results. When her head had fallen onto his shoulder, he had willingly put his arm around her, enjoying every moment. This was something he could never do while he had been her CO. Sure, they'd done that as friends, but he knew that what he had been intending, was more than friendship. He had spent the few hours holding her, sleeping blissfully, comfortable, and warm inside. The feelings he had for her years ago had come back, almost at full strength.

Now, here she was, no husband, and no regulations. Could he allow himself to love her again after all the hurt he had gone through? Would she feel the same way towards him? Did he want to risk ruining what they currently had to find out?

His head swimming, he decided he needed to get away from the base for a little bit. He informed Walter that he was going out, and to contact him on his cell phone if anything happened. He went down to his temporary quarters, changed in to jeans and a shirt, and waited for the elevator. The doors opened to reveal only one person in it.

"Hi."

"Hi. You going somewhere?"

"I was."

"Not anymore?"

"Nope."

"You need a ride?"

"No, that's ok."

"Sam, please, let me give you a ride."

"What are you doing?"

"Just needed to get out for a few hours."

"Oh."

"Where you headed?"

"I was going to go home for a couple of hours, but I've got work I can do instead."

"So you don't want a ride? I won't bite, I promise." Jack smiled charmingly at Sam, who despite being upset at him, couldn't resist.

"If it's not out of your way, or too much trouble."

"Nah, no trouble at all. In fact, you've given me something to do."

"You're telling me that there's nothing to do in that office?" There was no staying mad with Jack O'Neill when he acted like this, Sam thought ruefully.

"Nothing that I want to do... C'mon, lets go."

The elevator opened to the ground level, and Jack walked towards his car. Sam climbed in after tossing her crutches in the backseat, and gave him directions to her apartment.

"Thanks for the ride."

"You sure you don't need help?"

"That's ok. I'm sure you've got things to do."

"Nope. Not a thing planned."

"Uh, sure, you can come up." Sam got out of the car, and grabbed the crutches, cursing at herself for giving in to him.

"You moving soon?"

"About 2 weeks. Still got to sign some papers before I get an official date."

"Ah. How's the packing going?" Jack scanned the many half packed boxes scattered around her living room.

"Its coming slowly. Here's the remote."

Sam handed Jack the remote, who promptly sat down and turned the TV on. Sam went to her room, shut the door, and started throwing clothes into a bag. She was angry at herself for falling for his charm. She had wanted a few hours alone, away from the base, to think about what Daniel had asked. How was she supposed to think with him sitting in the living room!

Zipping her back closed, she opened the door, and decided she was done. There was no reason for her to stay if he was staying. She may as well go back to the base and get some work done. The phone rang, and she hobbled over to it. Jack listened to the conversation, and when it was over, turned off the TV.

"Who was that?"

"Kathy."

"And she is?"

"My agent and someone I used to know when I worked here before. She wants to come over and get some of the papers signed."

"Ah."

"You can leave if you need to. I can grab a cab to the base when I'm done."

"How long till she gets here?"

"About half an hour."

"I can wait."

Jack sat back, turned the TV on again, and Sam groaned inwardly. She had hoped he would leave. Seeing as he was making himself comfortable, she decided to put her time to good use, and went into the kitchen to get some more packing done.

Half an hour later, the buzzer announced the arrival of Kathy. Sam let her in, and Jack turned the volume down on the TV. Sam introduced Jack to Kathy, then they went into the kitchen.

"Who's that?"

"Someone I work with."

"Oh. That's all?"

"Yes Kathy. That's all."

"What's he doing here?"

"He's giving me a ride back to work when we're done."

"Ah. Available?"

"Uh, yeah. What do you need me to sign?"

Kathy pulled a bunch of papers out of her briefcase, and laid them on the table. As they were discussing some of the details, Jack wandered in to get a drink. Sam didn't miss Kathy giving Jack the once over with her eyes, and felt an overwhelming urge to kick her under the table. Jack smiled at Sam and apologized for interrupting them, and as he walked away, Sam felt her face warm up.

"You sure he's available?"

"What?"

"He doesn't seem too available to me."

"What are you talking about?"

"That look he gave you."

"Kathy, there's nothing going on between us. We're just friends." Sam kept her voice low as she didn't want Jack to overhear them.

"So you wouldn't mind if I talked to him?"

"No, go ahead." She forced the words out of her mouth, feeling something akin to jelousy, rise within her. She shook it off, and concentrated on what Kathy was explaining.

* * *

Once Kathy left, Sam informed Jack she wanted to return to the base. He grabbed her bag, and the two headed downstairs, and into his car. Once back at the base, Jack went to his quarters to change, and Sam to her lab. Once there, she sank into a chair, and put her head in her hands. She needed to get things straight in her head, and soon. 

She couldn't help it as her mind recalled her previous conversation with Daniel. Had he been hinting at something? Had Jack said something to him, or worse, had Jack read too much into that one night on Daniel's couch. Despite Daniel's request that she not say anything before he got back, she felt she had to sort out this mess, before it became a disaster.

Knocking the door shut with her crutch, she turned on her computer and stared at the screen. What did she think of Jack? He was a friend, one once who knew her better than almost anyone else. When she had been his 2IC she had known he was a great soldier, a good man, and loyal to his last breath. That, combined with the close friendship she had watched evolve between him and Daniel, had softened her opinion of him.

She thought back, trying to remember when her feelings had crossed the friendship barrier. She couldn't pinpoint an approximate date, but had already started to have feelings for him by the time they were lost in Antarctica. When he had been gone for 100 days, lost on Edora, she had known she was too close, but hadn't backed off, and it had all come to a head with the damn za'tarc test. He had admitted that he cared about her, more than he was supposed to.

They had never broken the regs, but she knew there were times when both of them could've, easily. She remembered when she first went out with Pete. That first date had felt so strange, but something had pushed her to a second date. Jack had told her to get a life, and many dates later, she felt she had done that. When Pete had asked her to marry him, she had dithered for a week or so, not sure how she wanted to answer. Even when she had mentioned her indecision to Jack, she still couldn't decide. When Pete had helped exonerate Teal'c, she had said yes, but hadn't felt like she had made the right decision until her father died. Pete had come to comfort her in her grief, and that's when she knew she cared for him, more than she thought she could.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she shook off the thoughts of Pete. She needed to concentrate on Jack, and what he meant to her. She felt betrayed, almost, by him. Why hadn't he said anything when she was getting close to Pete? There had been many opportunities, and he hadn't taken any of them. Just one word, one comment on the future, and she would've ended it with Pete. She hadn't said anything, as she had been scared of the answer. Did she still care for Jack the way she used to? Could she again?

She didn't have the answers for herself. She wasn't interested in finding a relationship with anyone right now, especially as how sour her last one had gone. She trusted Jack with her life, but wasn't sure about her heart. What if it didn't work out? It would be awkward at work, and she didn't plan on leaving her current job, as she loved it. The first few times they had seen each other had been unpleasant, to say the least. Did she want to go through that again?

Hearing the klaxons announcing an offworld activation, she glanced at the clock. 2200. Where had the time gone! She headed off to the control room, wanting to see Daniel safe with her own eyes. As the elevator counted down the floors, she came to her decision. She could not have a relationship, other than friendship, with Jack O'Neill.

_AN: I'll try not to leave you hanging for long..._


	26. Chapter 26

Sam arrived at the control room as the gate deactivated. She cursed her almost healed leg for slowing her down, and followed Jack to the briefing room.

"What's happened?"

"Daniel said that they had some problems with the trial today."

"What kind of problems?" Sam took a seat, as it was still much easier to sit.

"The villagers brought up charges against Vala, from when she was host to Qetesh."

"I can only imagine what kind of things they would bring up."

"Well, Daniel finally had them convinced that Vala shouldn't be responsible for Qetesh's crimes. They're going to take the night to come up with a punishment."

"Punishment?"

"Yeah, Daniel doesn't seem to think that they'll be able to just walk out of there tomorrow."

"What about Cam, and SG-3?"

"They were tried for helping Vala with her little charade, or something like that. Daniel is sure their punishment will be only banishment, which is pretty much what we want."

"And Vala? What's her punishment?"

"If she's guilty, execution."

"Damn. As much as she can be a pain in the ass, I hope Daniel gets her out of there in one piece."

"If anyone can do it, he can."

"Daniel's quite the peacemaker isn't he?"

"You could say that."

"I had an interesting chat with him earlier."

"Really?" Jack's fingers started drumming on the table, an obvious sign of his discomfort.

"Yeah. You?"

"Uh, nope, not that I can remember." Sam knew Jack was lying to her, and she started to become angry again.

"That's funny. He was talking about you."

"He tends to do that. Can't help it if the guy admires me." Jack was wearing one of his cocky smiles that infuriated Sam even more. He was avoiding their discussion.

"Jack, look, that night..."

Sam was interrupted as Walter ran into the briefing room. Jack stood up and exited in a hurry, Walter close behind. Sam chose to wait for Jack's return.

* * *

Jack finally walked back up the stairs to his office at 0100. Sgt. Siler had been working on the issue with the manual control on the iris, and found another system that appeared to be out of commission. It hadn't required him to leave Sam in the briefing room, but it had been the perfect excuse. Walter, to his credit, hadn't said anything, but followed him down to Siler in the electrical room, and attempted to explain the problem. After that, Jack had gone to visit Bosco, still in the infirmary, then to the commissary for a small bite to eat. Even he was surprised at the time when he checked his watch. He had to tidy up the desk before heading to bed, and guessed that Sam would've gone to bed long ago. 

He wasn't ready to have that kind of conversation with her, and definitely not while at work. He had been surprised that she had brought it up earlier, considering how long she was here as a member of the military. Leave all personal issues at the door. That's what they'd all had drilled into their heads in the first few days of training for the Air Force.

As he walked into the briefing room, he stopped dead in his tracks. She was still sitting there, her arms on the table, her head lying on her arms. He crept up to her, and looked at her peaceful face. About to shake her gently to wake her, he stopped and reconsidered. If he woke her, would she remember what they had been about to discuss earlier? He could always get one of the men in the control room to come up here and wake her up after he left. They'd have a field day with that. Lt. Gen. Jack O'Neill, afraid to wake a scientist sleeping in the briefing room. He placed his hand on her shoulder, and shook her gently, calling her name.

"Sam...Sam. Wake up. You can't spend the night sleeping here."

"Huh?" Her head rose and there were marks on her cheek where she had placed her head on her watch.

"It's 0100."

"Oh."

"I didn't think you'd be that comfortable sleeping here all night."

"Uh, thanks." Sam wiped her eyes and looked around for her crutches. Jack handed them to her, and she rose, remembered their earlier conversation.

"No problem. Now go to bed, and get a decent rest."

"Jack?"

"Yeah." Uh oh, she remembered, he thought.

"About earlier. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up here."

"Forget about it."

"No. I can't, but I won't talk about it here."

"Oh." Sam could hear the disappointment in his voice. He had been avoiding her.

"What happened?"

"Uh, something with Siler."

"He ok?"

"Yeah, he's fine. Something to do with the electricity."

"Jack, you know if you don't want to discuss something with me, you can tell me that."

"Ok."

"You don't have to go dashing off at the first excuse to get out of a discussion."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Just be honest with me, that's all I ask."

"Ok. You keep up your end, and I'll keep up mine."

"Jack, what's that supposed to mean?" Sam was angry again.

"I don't want to talk about what we were talking about earlier. There, I'm being honest."

"That doesn't count."

"As what? Honesty?"

"No. I want to discuss that."

"I don't."

"Jack, I think we need to discuss what Daniel said to both of us." Sam followed Jack into his office, and kicked the door closed behind her.

"Carter, not now."

"Jack, your shift ended an hour ago. If you like we can go to the parking lot and discuss this there."

"Do I have a choice?" Jack was trying to keep his anger from his voice, and was only just succeeding.

"That night at Daniel's was a mistake. You know that, I know that."

"A mistake! When I said that to you, you left without a word!"

"No, you used the 'I was drunk' excuse, which doesn't fly with me."

"Ok. Fine. It was a mistake."

"We are friends, nothing more."

"Is that what you want?" Jack lowered his voice, and his tone changed to one of sadness.

"Yes."

Sam opened the door, and Jack sank into his chair. What had Daniel said to Sam? It couldn't possibly be the same speech he had received, not with that reaction. How could two people be on completely different pages like they were? Could he stop his renewed feelings before it was too late? He stacked the scattered papers into a neat pile, and glanced at the calendar on the desk. He would be home in two days. There he would be able to think, and get his feelings in line with his mind, if he could.

* * *

Jack ended the conversation, feeling nothing but pure relief. Daniel, Cam, Vala, and SG-3 had made it to the Alpha site, injured, but alive. After they had been checked out at the infirmary there, they would gate home. Jack picked up the phone to call Carter, then had second thoughts. If she was still in the mood she had been the previous night, it was probably best he stay away. He spotted Scott in the gateroom, and wandered towards him. 

"Hi."

"Hi General."

"Checking up on the system?"

"Yeah. Sam's still not convinced this delivery system is as efficient as it could be. She sent me down here to take some more measurements."

"Ah."

"What can I do for you?"

"If you could pass a message along to Sam?"

"Sure, I'm almost done here."

"Let her know that Daniel should be back within the hour."

"Sure, will do."

"Thanks."

Jack stopped to talk to several airmen on the way back to the office, and had barely sat down, when the gate activated again. Dashing down the control room he just heard Walter announce it was Teal'c's IDC. He gave the order to open the iris, and once again, headed to the gateroom. He greeted Teal'c and Bra'tac and walked with them to the infirmary, going through the pleasantries along the way. Jack barely made it into the infirmary when the klaxons sounded again. He excused himself, and bolted to the gateroom.

"Daniel."

"Hi Jack."

"SG's 1 and 3, welcome back." Jack scanned them and noticed several cuts, bruises, and one of the members of SG-3 with his arm in a sling. "We'll debrief after you go the infirmary."

"Yes Sir." All the military members answered, and trooped off. Daniel and Vala remained behind.

"What happened to you guys?"

"Bosco, is he alright?" Vala looked more upset than he thought she could possibly be.

"He's healing. You guys ok?"

"Yeah, Jack. Just a few bumps. Nothing I haven't had before."

"I still want you to check in with Lam." Jack started walking, and was relieved when Daniel and Vala followed with no comments.

"Jack, I suggest we lock that address from the dialing computer."

"Already done."

"We were waiting for the verdict, when we heard ships close by. We heard screaming, and people panicking."

"They're dead. Most of my people are dead." Vala's usually spunky voice was void of all emotion, and Jack turned to take a close look at her. Her eyes were red, her face pale, and she was visibly shaking.

"It's not your fault, Vala." Daniel slung an arm around her shoulder and ushered her into the infirmary. Once she was seated, Jack pulled Daniel aside.

"Jaffa?"

"Yes. More than 50 of them. I can't believe we all made it out alive."

"Vala?"

"The doctor at the Alpha site said it's shock."

"Should she be at the briefing?"

"I don't think she'll be able to. I bet Dr. Lam will keep her here for a while."

"I need you at the briefing."

"I can't leave her alone right now. She's thinks this is her fault somehow."

"I'll get Sam to take her up to her lab. Keep her preoccupied for a while."

"Sure. Thanks Jack."

* * *

Jack had completely forgotten his argument with Sam, until he knocked on her closed door. He entered when she called out, and watched as her expression changed from one of deep thought, to one of confusion. She hadn't expected to see him anytime soon, especially after her harsh words the previous night. 

"Oh, it's you." He didn't hear anger in her voice, only a hint of curiosity, at what he was doing there.

"The last time I checked, yes, it's me."

"That's generally a good thing. What can I do for you, Jack?"

"Well, it's something for Daniel."

"He's back already? When did he arrive?"

"A few minutes ago. Didn't you get my message?"

"No. Is he ok?"

"Yeah, just a few knocks and scrapes. He'll live."

"Then what's wrong?"

"Vala's not so good. I need Daniel to be at the briefing, and he wondered if you could stay with Vala while he was busy."

"Is she ok?" Sam started shuffling papers into some kind of order, and turned off her computer.

"She's in shock. I don't know what happened yet, other than they ran into some Jaffa."

"Damn."

"Just talk to her, and remember what she tells you. We could need the information."

"Sure."

Sam was halfway down the corridor to the elevator before Jack commented on her lack of crutches. He ran back to get them from her, earning him a slight smile. They continued down the elevator in silence, only speaking when Sam left on the floor for the infirmary. Jack continued down to the gateroom to prepare for the briefing.

_AN: Sorry it's just a short one... don't hurt me for leaving it here as I won't be able to post the next chapter...lol._


	27. Chapter 27

"You requested my presence, O'Neill?"

"Teal'c, Bra'tac, take a seat."

As Daniel filled Bra'tac and Teal'c in on what had happened on their mission, Jack sorted through all the information he had just heard in the briefing. Daniel had been the only one not in a cell, and when they heard the ships fly over, Daniel had gone outside to investigate. Upon seeing the al'kesh's, he had begged several of the frantic villagers to release his teammates, to no avail. As the Jaffa were approaching the center of the village, a reluctant villager had opened the cells, and fled. They could all hear the sounds of staff weapons, and people screaming. Seeing an escape route, Cam had dashed for the cover of the trees, the Jaffa in pursuit. The gate was guarded, but after securing their weapons, the 6 men, and Vala, were able to get to the gate, and dial the Alpha site.

All the men at the briefing had been shaken up, even after having fought the Jaffa before. The village had been primarily a thriving farming community, with an approximated population of around 500. The Jaffa had not intended to come and conquer, only to kill. Each of the men had described what they had seen, and it gave Jack shivers to think of it. No one had been spared. If they could be killed, they were.

"Jack?"

"Sorry, thinking."

"O'Neill, we have not heard of any Jaffa activity surrounding Neith, Tanit, Athena, or Ba'al." Teal'c repeated his comment.

"Bra'tac?"

"The council has sent many groups of Jaffa to other worlds, but all have reported nothing. Gerek is most anxious to capture Ba'al and is attempting to acquire any and all information surrounding incidences like these."

"How long were you planning on staying?"

"I wish to assist you in your search, but I must return and report on these events."

"Let us know if you find anything." Bra'tac bowed his head, and swept out of the room, SG-3 and Cam following. Less than a minute later the remaining three could hear the gate dialing.

"Jack, now what?"

"I don't know Daniel. I'm going to have to report this tomorrow, when I return to D.C. I'll fill Landry in before I leave, and we'll take it from there."

"O'Neill, Daniel Jackson, if there is nothing further, I would like to retire."

"Yeah, go ahead Teal'c."

"G'night Teal'c."

"How long till Vala bounces back?"

"Not a clue. I've never seen her like that before. I had to drag her away from that village. She wanted to help them, have us engage the Jaffa. There were too many of them, and no one left to save." Daniel's eyes dropped and he focused on the table as he remembered.

"Daniel, none of this is anyone's fault. Well, the Jaffa's fault, but not yours, ours, or the villagers."

"I don't think Vala sees it that way."

"She's probably in Sam's lab now. We'll head down there and check on them."

"Jack, completely off topic here. Did you think about what I asked?"

"Yeah, and so did Sam."

"Sam?"

"We talked last night."

"What! I asked you not to say anything."

"She brought it up, not me."

"What did she say?"

"Friendship, nothing more."

"Jack, I'm sure that's not what she meant..."

"Daniel, don't worry about it. It's been discussed, and I don't want to talk about it again."

Jack's tone spoke louder than his words. Daniel knew things hadn't gone as Jack had wanted them to, but right now, there was nothing he could do about it.

* * *

Daniel and Jack arrived to find Sam hard at work, Vala watching. Daniel ushered Vala out of the room, and Jack sat down in the vacant chair. 

"That bad huh?"

"Yeah."

"She kept saying it was her fault."

"Did she tell you what happened."

"Some of it. She just started talking, and I let her go on, without interrupting. She stopped when she described the scene in the village. How many Jaffa were there? She wasn't too sure."

"Cam reckons around 50."

"She said they didn't all have the same insignia."

"Daniel mentioned there were two different ones. Neith's and Tanit's."

"So, what are we looking at? Two goa'uld's joining forces, or one absorbing the others Jaffa?"

"Right now, we don't have a clue. Bra'tac went back to talk to the Jaffa council, see if he can jog their memories for any old alliances, or anything we can work with."

"Oh. Where could they be hiding? It's a big galaxy, but someone must've seen something. Why 412?"

"Daniel's going to talk to Vala, find out if there's any memory of a broken alliance, or something, with Neith or Tanit from when she was host to Qetesh."

"But it's been years since she was a host! Would they really go after her now? Not only that, how did they know she was going to be there?"

"Good question, Sam. Still no answers. How's the hunt for Ba'al coming?"

"Either he's not here, or better at hiding than we thought."

"How long can a goa'uld hide? Don't they like the power and attention?"

"From what we know of them in the past decade or so, yes, but there's nothing, not a peep. I'm only getting dead ends, no matter where I look."

"Landry's back tomorrow. He might assign you a different task. Changing the subject, you have plans tonight?"

"I was going to do some more research with the measurements I asked Scott to do for me."

"Speaking of Scott, where is he? I haven't seen Vikki around either. Is she ok?"

"Vikki's at home, sick. Scott, I haven't a clue."

"It was hours ago that I asked him to pass along a message to you, and you never got it."

"Maybe he got distracted."

"Doing what? He wasn't in the gateroom at the end of the briefing."

"He could've gotten lost."

"Sam, he's been here for months now. He can't be trying to use that excuse."

"Was there anything else?"

"Well, about last night."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was out of line. I was tired and had a short fuse, and took it out on you."

"Did you mean what you said?"

"Yes, but I didn't mean it to come out like that. I want us to be friends, but we have to be honest with each other."

"I can do that."

"You can? Ok, did you need to go see Siler last night?"

"Uh, not right then."

"So you were avoiding me."

"Not you, the conversation."

"Oh, ok. Look, what I was trying to say, was that, the night at Daniel's, it shouldn't have happened. I know that, you know that, but it happened. We've got to get past it, and move on."

"If that's what you want, Sam."

Sam merely shrugged her shoulders, and turned back to her computer. Jack watched as she reabsorbed herself into her work, fascinated. He could almost see her brilliant mind working behind her eyes, and didn't think he could ever tire of watching her.

"Real world to Jack?"

"Huh?"

"Did you have anything else to discuss?"

"Uh, no. Uh, I gotta go... check on Daniel."

In his haste to leave, he tripped over one of the legs on the chair, grabbed the door to prevent himself from falling, then took a deep breath as he tried to compose himself. Sam grinned at him, and he fled. She had caught him staring at her in a way that was more than just friendship, and didn't want to stick around to hear another tirade. He knew, that somewhere in his mind, he had crossed some imaginary barrier, but she hadn't. He hoped that one day, she would join him on the other side.

* * *

After informing Landry of all the goings on at the SGC in the past two weeks, Jack said his farewells to Teal'c and Sam. Sam had been on the phone, arguing passionately with someone, when he had stuck his head in her office. When she had been put on hold, he had told her he was leaving, but would probably be back soon. On his way out the door, he turned back and told her that if she needed help moving, he was only an Asgard beam away. She had smiled one of those smiles, the one he liked to think she reserved just for him, and turned back to the phone conversation, waving at him absentmindedly.

* * *

Jack's car had been taken to the rental place earlier that morning by one of the airmen, and Daniel had offered to drive him to the airport. On the way, Daniel started making small talk, and Jack knew exactly where he was heading with it. 

"Daniel, just spit it out."

"What?"

"You're beating around the bush, just get to the point."

"What happened with you and Sam?"

"I told you already."

"Ok, so what do you think about her answer?"

"What do I think? What the hell do you think I'm thinking?"

"I don't know, Jack. That's why I'm asking."

"I respect her decision, and I'll stick by it. That's all."

"But how do you feel about all of this?"

"Daniel..."

"Jack, if you can't be honest with yourself, at least talk to someone who can be honest for you."

"Let me guess, that would be you."

"Yes, it would be. If you two can't see what's right in front of your faces, then I'm going to make sure you do."

"Look, Daniel. She said no, end of story."

"Did you think of why she said no?"

"Well, there's a very obvious answer to that. One I don't think I should have to tell you."

"It's not that. Did you stop and think that maybe she's scared?"

"Carter, scared? I didn't think she'd changed that much." Jack was being sarcastic as he couldn't imagine a scared Sam.

"Do you know what happened with her and Pete?"

"No, why do you?"

"She didn't tell me everything, and I don't expect her to."

"Are you suggesting he did something to her?"

"Is it not a possibility?"

"If he did, I'll kill him." Jack spoke fiercely, which didn't surprise Daniel the slightest.

"Well that'd be a fine way to screw up any kind of relationship. Kill the ex-husband, drag up old memories, and end up in jail. Great plan Jack."

"Shut up Daniel." Had they not been in the car, Daniel was certain that Jack would've either punched him, or banged his head on a desk.

"I'm not trying to stir up the pot.."

"And you're doing oh-so-fine a job there..."

"I only wanted to point out an aspect I didn't know if you'd thought about."

Jack opened his mouth to retort, and closed it. He hadn't considered any other reason as to Sam's behaviour, other than the obvious reason to him. She wasn't interested in him that way. Daniel had just opened his mind, that had been so closed on this matter, to a whole pile of possibilities. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration, as Daniel parked the car at the airport.

"Jack, give her some time. She's been through some tough relationships, don't forget that."

"This is Samantha Carter we're talking about. Stubborn is her middle name."

"Reminds me of someone I just drove to the airport. When she first came back to the SGC, I told you things could change if it was worth it. Is she worth the effort?"

"Thanks for the ride, Daniel."

"Anytime. Sam's moving two Wednesday's from now. Why don't you come and help?"

"I don't know..."

"Think about it."

"I'll see."

"Bye Jack."

"See ya."

Jack walked away from Daniel, deep in thought. The entire flight back to D.C. his mind was filled with only one thing.

_AN: Thanks for the great reviews! Motivating as always..._


	28. Chapter 28

"Hey."

"Hi." Sam smiled brightly as Daniel entered her lab, and took a seat.

"What's this?"

"It's a device SG-2 brought back from 824 four days ago. Dr. Lee did some tests and couldn't determine what it did. There's no energy coming from it, and whatever it's made of, well, besides being scratch resistant, and light, it's not anything we've seen before."

"May I?" Daniel gestured towards the small metallic sphere, and Sam nodded her assent. He almost dropped the ball as it wasn't much heavier than a balloon, even though he could barely put his fingers around it.

"We don't have a clue what it was used for. There's nothing inside, just a hollow space, and there's no writing on it."

"Where did they find it? Just lying around?"

"No, it was in a temple of sorts. You haven't got the pictures yet? I was sure they were sending you a bunch." Sam took the sphere from Daniel, and placed it carefully in a stand to prevent it rolling off the desk.

"It's only 7am, I haven't been to my office yet. Did you even leave the base yesterday?"

"No, I had too much work to do, then this arrived in my hands."

"Oh. After I took Jack to the airport, I went home. Thought I'd get here early and see how Vala's doing."

"Alright, well, lunch?"

"Sure, lunch it is. Here or in the commissary?" Daniel knew that once Sam had a gadget to play with, all other plans would be forgotten.

"Uh, how about your office?" Sam eyed all the instruments littering the desk as she answered.

"Yeah, I'll see you around noon."

"Thanks, Daniel."

Sam turned back to the device, her concentration immediately focused on it. She didn't see Daniel turn around, and open his mouth to ask her a question. Daniel shrugged his shoulders and walked out of her lab.

* * *

Daniel had waited half an hour for Sam before he went to get her. He wasn't angry, just mildly amused, as knew he did the same thing when he was involved in a project. 

"Sam, you forget about lunch?"

"Is it noon already? I'm sorry, Daniel, I guess I got too caught up."

"Anything yet?" Daniel exited the lab, following Sam.

"Nothing."

"Why did SG-2 bring it back?"

"Apparently, when they removed the object, the artificial lighting went out. They assumed it to be some kind of energy source, but I have yet to get any kind of reading from it."

"I got the pictures, but I don't think I'll be of much use. The language that's written on the walls is completely different to anything I've seen before. Hey, where's the crutches?" Daniel stopped to look for them, as if they would be following her down the hall. She had been using the crutches for a while, and he had been used to them.

"I'm supposed to start trying to walk without them for short periods of time. Help strengthen some of the unused muscles."

"How's it going so far?"

"I'm glad to be rid of the crutches, even if it's only for a couple of hours each day. Hopefully I won't have them by the time I move."

"You almost finished packing?"

"No. I didn't think I had that much stuff. It's going to take forever."

"Don't you have a week off to pack?" Daniel opened the door to his office and took a seat, Sam following.

"Not a full week to pack. Most of it's for unpacking."

"Take more days. You've got about a month's worth of days off banked."

"Maybe. Depends on what's going on here."

"Well, I'm not going off world for a few days, why don't I come help you out."

"That'd be great Daniel. Thanks." Daniel handed Sam a tray with a salad, several sandwiches, and bottled water. He set his own tray on the table and started eating.

"Oh, and before I forget, Jack might come to help you move." Daniel had waited for a moment when her mouth was full and she wouldn't be able to talk for a few seconds. "Don't say no, you could probably use the help."

"Why would he help me move?" Sam had chewed and swallowed as fast as she could.

"That's what friends do, right?"

"Yes, but usually friends don't have to take a flight across the country to help another one move. What did you say to him?"

"Me! I should be asking you the same question! Why did you talk to him the other night?"

"Daniel, you wouldn't understand." Sam laid her sandwich back on the plate, and sat back, her arms crossed.

"Try me."

"I had to."

"Why?"

"I had to stop him from thinking there could be something more than friendship."

"So that's your final decision?" Daniel had finished eating, and placed the tray on top of a filing cabinet.

"Yes." Even as she said the word, Sam was beginning to have doubts. Daniel picked up on it immediately.

"You don't sound too sure about that." Daniel spoke softly, his voice penetrating Sam's thoughts, and forcing her to be honest with herself.

"Oh, Daniel. I'm not sure what I want anymore. It's all just, so confusing." Sam could feel tears welling up in her eyes, but refused to allow them to spill over.

"That's what I'm here for. Look, why don't you get out of here early. I'll take you home, and we can do some packing."

Sam nodded her consent, and as Daniel started clearing up the remains of their lunch, she returned to her lab to clean up. After talking to General Landry, Daniel returned to Sam's lab, and helped her finish clearing up, before they left.

* * *

Once at Sam's apartment, Sam had begun stuffing boxes energetically. Daniel thought she was being a little too aggressive, and was about to make a comment when his cell phone rang. He answered and wandered into the living room, to cut down on some of the unnecessary noise Sam was making. He didn't notice as the banging of dishes ceased, engrossed in his conversation. 

Sam tried not to listen, but couldn't help herself. As soon as she knew Daniel was talking to Jack, she was curious. She continued to pack, but was much quieter, so she could hear Daniel's side of the conversation. When he hung up, she hurried to the other side of the kitchen, and started wrapping plates in newspaper.

"Sorry about that."

"No problem." Sam felt terrible for listening, but as she hadn't overheard anything interesting, it didn't show in her face.

"That was just Jack." Daniel studied her face closely, wondering how much she had heard.

"Oh. How is he?"

"Sam, I know you were listening. I noticed it got a little quiet in here, just before I hung up."

"Sorry." Now Daniel could see guilt on her face, mixed with sadness.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm just, so, muddled. I thought it was cut and dry, nothing to it, but now I'm not too sure." Daniel instinctively knew she was talking about Jack.

"What aren't you too sure about?"

"Him, us, everything."

"You're second guessing your decision." Daniel had thought something like this would happen, hence he had asked her to wait a few days before saying anything to Jack.

"Something like that."

"Do you want more than friendship?" Daniel steered Sam into the living room, and cleared off the couch so they could both sit down.

"At first, no. Now, I'm not too sure."

"Why did you go talk to him, instead of waiting like I asked?" His tone was not accusing, and the barrier holding Sam's emotions came down a fraction.

"I thought I needed to. Get it out in the open. Make sure we were on the same page."

"And?"

"We weren't. He wants more, I can see it in his eyes."

"So now you've changed your mind?"

"I don't think I changed my mind. More like lied to him about what I was feeling."

"Do you want more?" Daniel barely heard her response.

"Yes. I think I do."

"Sam, are you sure?"

"Yes, but I'm scared. What if he's not interested anymore? What if it doesn't work out? I don't want to loose what we have. It wasn't pleasant coming back to the SGC with him behaving like that."

"Like what?"

"Cold, rude, sarcastic, bitter. You know, the way he gets when he's in a mood."

"Have you ever thought about why he acted like that towards you?" Daniel was shocked at her previous response, and felt a desiring urge to defend Jack.

"I don't know. Probably because he never wanted to see me again."

"Sort of."

"You knew why he was being an asshole to me?" Sam suddenly changed from being downcast, to being infuriated.

"Yes. I talked to him."

"So why didn't you stop him?"

"I had to stop both of you!"

"Me! You're saying I had something to do with his pissiness?" Sam was past being infuriated, as she yelled at Daniel.

"Calm down, Sam. It was both of you." Daniel's patience was wearing thin, and it was all he could do to keep his cool and calm temperament.

"He was the jackass. He avoided me. I hadn't had contact with him in years. He was the one who started it."

"Why do you think he avoided you, never answered your emails or letters, never came to visit?"

"I dunno, because he's a stubborn ass?"

"No, Sam. It was because you hurt him."

"When? When did I hurt him?" Sam had stood up, and now crossed her arms, demanding an answer from Daniel.

"When you married Pete." Daniel spoke just louder than a whisper, unsure of how she would react.

"I hurt him? When I married Pete, whatever me and Jack had, or didn't have, was over."

"Was it? Did you ever talk about it?"

"We couldn't. You know that Daniel. I hinted at it, and he gave me some answer, which really wasn't an answer as such, then he started seeing that Karen."

"Kerry."

"Whatever. Besides, that was years ago, and things have changed since then." Sam was pacing around the coffee table, her anger emanating from her every pore.

"Have they? When you were in that explosion at your old lab, you were surprised to hear that Jack was the one to find you."

"In case you don't remember, we weren't getting along at that point."

"But he would never leave you, or any of us, alone, and injured. You should know that by now."

"Do you have another point here, or are you just talking out of your ass? Fine, I hurt him. That was years ago. Things have changed since then."

"Have they? You two seem to be playing an old love/hate game. The only thing in your way, is the pair of you. No regulations this time, Sam."

"Why are you so interested in this, Daniel?"

"You guys are both my friends. When you act like this with each other, it drives me 'n Teal'c nuts. I want this to get resolved, one way or another."

"Well, I'm so sorry that we are causing you stress. Why don't you butt out, as it's not your problem."

"Sam, wait. Don't take it that way. Look, I just want to see you both happy, whatever that ends up being. Jack's feeling none too happy about the way things have gone, and I wanted you to see things as I see them, before things got any worse."

"Daniel, I think you've helped enough. I've got packing to do." Sam's voice was trembling with emotion, and Daniel took it as his cue to leave.

"If you need anything, just call me."

"Fine, Daniel."

"And Sam, please, make a decision and stick to it. Don't play around with him anymore."

As Daniel closed the door behind him, Sam collapsed onto the couch, and allowed the tears to fall. She stayed there for almost an hour, wallowing in her own sorrow and anger, before she started to think over what Daniel had said. She knew he was right, but didn't want to admit it to herself. She hadn't blamed Jack for everything that had happened, but hadn't placed any of that blame on her own shoulders. She had behaved just as badly as Jack had, perhaps even worse. Wiping her eyes, she resolved to clear the mess up, for once and for all.

* * *

Jack was expecting Daniel to call, as he had explained he was with Sam when he had called earlier. Jack ended his conversation with Daniel, frustrated. When he had arrived in D.C. he was sure that he knew what he wanted. After listening to Daniel rehash his argument with Sam, he had felt a seed of animosity towards her, grow within him. Now, several hours later, he was fuming. Daniel was right. Sam had hurt him. Why was he waiting for her to change her mind, and did he still want her to? 

Despite his anger towards her, underneath all that was the hope that she would want more. As he acknowledged that, he realised that he would never get Sam out of his mind, or heart. He would give her time, let her get her own thoughts together, and wait for her to make a move, whether it be towards him, or another. This time, he would do what he could to make sure she knew what his feelings towards her were, and he wouldn't give up.

She had married someone else, but that was in the past. He knew from harsh experiences, that dwelling on things that you couldn't change didn't do anyone any good. It was time to forgive and forget, try to start anew.

He grabbed a piece of paper, and wrote a reminder to himself to arrange to have Sam's moving day off. Two weeks felt like years away, but it should give them both some time to think things over.

_AN: That was a hard chapter to write, hope you enjoyed. More this weekend...Thanx to all the great reviews for the last chapter. _


	29. Chapter 29

A persistent knocking woke Daniel up in the early hours of the morning. He crawled reluctantly out of bed, and opened the door, to a dripping Sam. He ushered her inside, grabbed several towels, some sweatpants, and a t-shirt. By the time she was changed and dry, Daniel had steaming coffee made. He handed her a cup when she sat on his couch. She didn't take a sip, holding the cup in her hands, warming them.

"Daniel, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten angry with you."

"Don't worry about it. That's what friends are for."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Telling me the truth." Sam looked directly into his eyes, and he could see nothing other than anguish.

"Sam, I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have said some of that, at least not when you were angry."

"But it was true. I did hurt him, and I didn't realise it fully until now."

"It's not all your fault."

"But I'm not blameless."

"Sam, did you walk here?"

"No. I took a cab, but I walked the final few streets."

"Why didn't you call me? I would've come over."

"I didn't know if you'd answer."

"Sam, no matter what, I'll be there for you."

"Thanks Daniel."

"Tonight, stay here. I'll run you home so you can change, in the morning."

The two stayed up, drinking their coffee, and talking. Daniel stayed clear of discussing Jack, or anything that could lead to their earlier argument, and only went to bed when it was obvious that Sam couldn't keep her eyes open. She stayed in his guest room, that she had vacated a few days ago.

* * *

The next two weeks passed by in a blur to Sam. She couldn't believe how much stuff she had accumulated in her small apartment, and spent most of her evenings packing, and throwing junk out. Daniel had helped as SG-1 had been on a few missions during those weeks, but had run into no trouble personally. The Free Jaffa continued their search for Ba'al, but so far, had uncovered nothing, other than dead ends. No other SG team ran into unfriendly Jaffa, but there were signs that they had been on several of the planets they visited. 

Vikki had returned to work, pale and not her usual cheery self. Sam had tried to talk to her, but Vikki wouldn't open up about whatever was depressing her. After several attempts to draw her out failed, she went to talk to Scott. He had not been of any help either. He asked that Sam leave Vikki alone for a bit, as she'd be back to her usual self in no time. Wondering if they had quarreled, Sam stayed out of it, watching for signs that Vikki was either deteriorating, or improving.

Daniel spent a great deal of time with Vala, talking to her, and just being there for her. She had recovered from the mission to 412, but still held herself responsible for what had happened. General Landry had suggested she visit Dr. Mackensie, but Daniel had intervened, asking for more time. He tried to suggest that allowing Vala off the base to see Earth, might cheer her up, but so far, permission to do so, had not been granted.

When Daniel was off world, Vala spent her time with Sam, trying to help in the lab. Sam began to like the woman more, as she spent time with her. Despite her flirtatious, and sometimes childish attitude, Vala was a strong woman, who knew how to take care of herself. When Sam brought up the Jolinar experience, the two had shared their memories of being a Goa'uld and a Tok'ra. After listening to Vala's memories, fragmented as they were, Sam was thankful that her experience had been with a Tok'ra, and only for a short period of time.

Teal'c had remained on Earth for a few days, before heading back to Dakara. Sam had inquired, when she had returned to the SGC, as to why he still lived on the base, even though he had permission to live in the city. Now she understood his answer. While he was with SG-1 for the majority of his time, he was usually off world. If he had a home on Earth, he would never be there, as his duties with the Free Jaffa filled his spare time. She never heard him complain, in fact, she thought he loved it. It was everything he had dreamed for since the day he had turned against Apophis.

Sam had not heard from Jack. No communication in the form of a phone call, or email. She had sent one email inviting him to the BBQ after she was moved in, but had yet to hear a response. After having some time to do some serious soul searching, and thinking, she had come to her decision, and she was going to stick by it. Since that evening of her and Daniel's argument, neither had breached the subject again, and Sam was grateful to him for that.

* * *

The morning of the moving day, Sam woke before the sun was up, and once she was showered, packed the final few items. At 0700 Daniel, Cam, Teal'c, and to Sam's surprise, Vala, started hauling boxes down the stairs into the rented truck. With Sam's leg still in the brace she was relegated to carrying boxes to the top of the stairs, and organizing what items to go in the truck first. The furniture proved to be a bigger hassle going down the stairs than Sam remembered getting them up. Vala was having a ridiculous amount of fun, hassling the boys, and going through Sam's apartment thoroughly, commenting on improvements that could be made, according to one of those design shows. 

Sometime around 0900 as Sam was carrying another box to the top of the stairwell, someone grabbed the box, and gently tugged it out of her hands. Once the cardboard was no longer blocking her view, she grinned at Jack.

"Hi."

"Hi yourself. You sure you should be haulin stuff around?" Jack eyed her brace, as the corners of his mouth turned up.

"Yeah, just no carrying them down the stairs. Thanks for coming."

"Hey, couldn't miss it. Going downstairs?" He gestured towards the boxes, and when Sam nodded, he headed down the stairs as Daniel ran up.

"You could've warned me."

"About what?" Daniel looked very confused, and considering he just passed Jack on the stairs, Sam figured he should have a clue what she was talking about.

"Him. Here." Sam gestured towards where Jack had gone, just moments before.

"I thought I told you, didn't I?"

"You said he might come, but not that he'd be here."

"Oh, sorry." Daniel shrugged his shoulders, and picked up another box. As he left Sam's view, he grinned to himself.

Sam was glad to see Jack, but felt like all rational thought had flown out the window. Gathering herself together, she grabbed another box, and continued with her task.

As the last item was loaded into the truck, the cleaning company Sam had called to clean her apartment showed up. She gave the address and directions to her new house to Jack, and left him and Daniel arguing over who would drive. Sam showed the cleaners to her apartment, and they started their work. By the time she arrived back down stairs, the truck was gone, as was Daniel's and Cam's car. Teal'c was waiting patiently, in what she assumed to be Jack's rental car.

"O'Neill won the battle to drive the moving vehicle."

"Vala went with Daniel?"

"That was the agreement between Daniel Jackson and General Landry."

"Why did they allow her off base today?"

"Daniel Jackson persuaded General Landry to allow her to assist in your move, as there are several members of the SGC here to prevent her from doing anything that would jeopardize herself, of the SGC. She will not have much opportunity to interact with the population, and therefore will be of minimal risk. General Landry insisted that she stay with one member at all times."

"And he chose Daniel?"

"No. I believe it was Vala Mal Doran who decided Daniel Jackson to be the one to guard her."

Sam grinned broadly, sure that by the end of the day Daniel would be exhausted answering her every question, and making sure she didn't do anything Valaish.

Sam had given Daniel a spare key, so once she and Teal'c arrived, the truck was already in the process of being unloaded. Cam showed up shortly after they did bearing several bags of food and they all took the opportunity to rest on the deck at the back of the house.

After listening to Vala's never ending questions about everything from the trees to the garage, to every different insect that landed on, or near her, Teal'c made the first move to return to their task at hand. Jack offered his hand to Sam, and pulled her onto her feet.

"That's quite a yard, Carter."

"It's a little bigger than I wanted, but it'll be an incentive for me to come home." Sam didn't miss the use of her last name, and her heart sank into her stomach.

"It's an interesting design for a house. How old is it?"

"Uh, just over 10 years. There was a house here previously, but it was torn down to build this one."

"I'm surprised they didn't attach the garage to the house. There's enough room."

"I don't really mind. It's huge, that'll make up for it."

As Jack walked around to the front of the house, Sam willed herself to calm down. By using her last name, he had reminded her of the days when she had been his 2IC. Back when she could not allow her feelings to be known. Was this his way of telling her subtly that his feelings had changed?

* * *

By the day's end, all Sam's belongings where in the correct rooms, the furniture placed where she wanted it, and a good portion of the boxes unpacked. Teal'c had volunteered to set up her kitchen, Cam the living room, where he spent most of his time looking at the DVDs she owned. Vala had volunteered to do one of the guest rooms, and Jack had taken it upon himself to set up the TV and stereo system. That done, he promptly turned the channel to one showing a hockey game, and then proceeded to move the couch into a perfect viewing position. After relaxing for a few minutes, he helped Teal'c in the kitchen, with the volume on the TV loud enough that he could hear it. Daniel had disappeared, and Sam was setting up her bathroom, and bedroom. 

About an hour after Daniel left, Sam heard her car in the alley through the open window. She ran as fast as she could down the stairs, and out to the garage. Daniel had gone to the SGC and retrieved her car for her. As soon as she finished checking for damage, she threw her arms around him, appreciating the kind gesture. His reasoning was that she had a week off, and could probably spend some of it on her car. She'd been itching to do so for a long time, but didn't have the room to do so at her old place.

It was past 2300 when Sam finally said goodbye to her friends, and sank onto the couch. The TV was showing the highlights of various games that day without the volume, and she turned it off, enjoying the silence. She had been amazed at how much had been accomplished that day, and ran through a mental list of what still needed to be done. The BBQ had been scheduled for 3 days after she had moved, to give her enough time to make her house presentable. Deciding to get an early start, she crawled into bed, and fell asleep not long after her head touched the pillow.

* * *

Jack drove himself back to Daniel's, and let himself in with the spare key. He figured he would have an hour to himself while Daniel returned Vala to the base. He unpacked his small bag in Daniel's guest room. That done, he opened a beer, and sat down in front of the TV. He didn't watch whatever was on, as his mind strayed to Sam. Why had he called her Carter? He had meant to say Sam, he knew that. Was it his subconscious telling him something? He doubted it. It was probably just old habit or something. He had watched for any kind of hint from her, and had found nothing all day, other than her initial surprise at his arrival. The door opened, yanking Jack out of his thoughts. 

"Hey, there's beer in the fridge for you."

"Yeah, thanks Daniel." Jack held up the opened bottle.

"Figured you'd be in bed by now, time difference an' all."

"I'm not that old yet. Besides, I'm not tired yet. Got anything to eat? I'm starving."

"Pizza?"

"Sure, sounds great. Vala was a tad excited today." Jack followed Daniel into the kitchen.

"At least she cheered up. That's all I wanted."

"Wasn't expecting to see Cam helping Sam though."

"He knew that we were helping her, and offered his assistance. Sam was grateful for his help, especially as she didn't know you were coming." Daniel eyed Jack, looking for any kind of response.

"I wasn't sure I could make it."

"You told me you could. Why didn't you mention anything to her?"

"I didn't know how she'd react, alright." Daniel could hear a hint of frustration in Jack's voice.

"What were you thinking? She'd tell you to leave?" Daniel tried to sound sarcastic, but failed.

"Maybe." Jack took the last swig of his beer, and grabbed another.

"She'd never do that."

"Didn't she kick you out of her place two weeks ago?"

"That was different, and she didn't kick me out. Jack, what's going on between you two?"

"I don't know yet."

"You should talk to her, before the BBQ. Get things out in the open."

"Yeah, maybe. Pizza done yet?"

"A few more minutes. Jack, she won't tell me what she's been thinking, and I haven't asked, but I don't think you should just leave it."

"I know."

"What are you going to say?"

"Daniel, just drop it, please. I don't want to talk about it."

Daniel changed the subject, and once the pizza was eaten, he cleared up the kitchen, and headed to bed. Jack stayed on the couch, beer in one hand, remote in the other.

* * *

The next day, Daniel was called into the SGC, as a team stranded off world were in need of his assistance on a translation. Jack woke just after 1100 to find a note on the fridge, stating where Daniel was, and he wasn't sure when he'd be back. After showering, shaving, and making some breakfast, Jack decided to drive over to Sam's. Once there, he sat in his car, running over in his mind what he wanted to say. At the last moment, he started the car and drove off, cursing himself for doing so. He drove around Colorado Springs, checking on his old house, and stopping at the park. He wandered around for a while, before deciding to go back to Daniel's. On his way back, his phone rang. It was Daniel, apologizing, but he had to stay on the base for the night. Jack offered to go in and help, but Daniel insisted he stay at his house, and go talk to Sam. 

Instead, Jack ordered in, and spent the night on the couch, with the TV, falling asleep there once again.

When Jack woke up the following morning, he dialed the SGC to find out how long Daniel would be. He ended up talking to General Landry, who explained that Daniel had to go help another team, trapped in some sort of temple. They did not have an estimated return time. Jack felt like throwing his phone across the room. Sam's BBQ was tomorrow, so that meant he needed to talk to her today. He had all sorts of ideas of what to say, but they varied from blurting out what he thought, and taking the time to see what she thought first, but he didn't want to go over there until he had some sort of plan.

He didn't start driving to her house until 1700, still with no particular plan in mind. He parked the rental, pulled the keys out of the ignition, and suppressed the urge to hit his head on the steering wheel. After sitting there for what felt like hours, he climbed out, choosing to wing it. That usually worked reasonably well, and as he didn't have any better ideas right now, that was the only way this was going to get done. He rang the doorbell several times, and peered through the windows. No sign of Sam inside the house. He wandered around towards the back yard, and heard music coming from the garage.

He opened the side door cautiously, and grinned at what he saw. Sam was swaying to the loud music while she worked on the engine of her car. He coughed, and she still didn't turn towards him. It wasn't until the song ended that she noticed him there.

"Uh, hi."

"Hi Sam. What'cha doin?"

"Working on my car."

"I can see that. You've got oil and grease all over you." Sam wiped her arm over her forehead, adding another streak of oil to her face.

"Yeah, well. It's easier to shower than to try to stay clean." As she spoke, Sam willed her hands to stop trembling. He took a few tentative steps inside the garage.

"Roomy in here. Got plenty of space to work." He guessed he was going with the 'seeing what she thought' option.

"Yeah, it's great. Once the car's fixed up, gonna have to get a bike to fill the space."

"Sounds good."

"I hesitate to ask, but what are you doing here?"

"Uh, just stopped by to say hi. Daniel's off world, so I've not got anything else to do."

"Oh. Well, come in, um take a seat." Sam could feel a tension in the air, but wasn't sure what was causing it. She bent back over the engine and started fiddling around. She could feel him close by, and jumped when his spoke.

"What're you doin'?"

"Uh, just trying to replace some of the older, worn out parts. I meant to do it for a while, but breaking my leg kinda put a hold on those plans."

"How long till you're up and running again?"

"Running?"

"As in, up and around." Sam couldn't help but smile at his obvious nervousness.

"Less than a month, depending on the physio."

"Ah. You need help?"

"With the physio?" Sam was confused with Jack's question.

"No, with the car. I've got a few hours to spare."

"Uh, sure. Can you hold this?" Sam pointed out the piece she wanted Jack to hold in place as she turned to grab the tool from the bench. She bent over the engine, and as she turned the wrench, her elbow hit the metal bar holding up the hood. It crashed down on both their heads, causing Sam to fall to the ground, as Jack grabbed the back of his head.

"Damn."

"Sorry Jack."

"Hey, not your fault."

"I did hit the bar holding the hood up." Sam was also holding her head in her hands.

"Yeah, well, let's not think about that. You ok?"

"Think so. You?"

"Fine, I think. Gonna have one hell of a lump tomorrow."

"I'm really sorry Jack."

"C'mere. Where'd it hit you." Sam pointed towards the top of her head, and stayed seated while Jack lightly ran his fingers through her hair. She shivered at his touch.

"No blood. You cold? Maybe you should go inside."

"No. I'm fine. Just like you. A bump on the head, nothing to worry about." Jack was amused as he watched Sam babble, and helped her to her feet.

"That's what friends are for, to worry about each other."

"Uh, huh."

"And to fight with each other." Sam's face fell at Jack's comment. "Sam, I meant it as a joke."

"It's just that we've done so much disagreeing and arguing lately."

"Well, how about we change that. Get things figured out, once and for all." The words rushed out of him, and he almost clapped his hand over his mouth to stop them.

"Here? Now?" Sam wasn't sure she was ready to admit what she had been mulling over, the past few weeks.

"Sure, why not? Unless you don't want to?"

"Uh, no. You're probably right, we should get it all out in the open, sooner rather than later." Sam's emotions were too close to the surface for her to be comfortable at that moment, but she knew they had to have this conversation at some point.

"Ok, how bout we go inside before it gets dark out here." Jack got to his feet and turned towards the door. He turned when he heard her voice.

"Jack, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, shoot."

"Why did you come to the lab when it exploded?" Sam was still curious as to his reason, despite what Daniel had told her. She wanted to find out exactly what he had been thinking, as maybe it would help her now.

"There was a Goa'uld running around."

"The SGC could've taken care of it."

"I was closer than they were."

"Didn't the Prometheus transport you all there anyways?"

"Uh, yeah."

"So you would've done it for anyone?" Sam subconciously took a step towards him. They were now standing less than two feet apart.

"If I could, probably." Jack didn't back away from her.

"That's your honest answer?" Jack could see she wasn't angry, just curious.

"You asked Daniel the same question. He told me. He also told me that you were surprised at the answer."

"Well, given that we weren't really speaking then, I was a little shocked that you would come to rescue me."

"Sam, no matter what, I will always be there for you."

Jack watched as her eyes changed expression. From curiosity, to understanding, to realisation.

"It was you." Sam whispered the words.

"Me what?"

"Semper. Always. You wrote that on my cast." A wave of emotion swept over Sam, filling every corner of her heart.

"Yes, I did." Jack's voice dropped to Sam's volume.

"Why didn't you write it so I could recognise the writing."

"I didn't know how'd you react."

"Jack..."

He couldn't resist any longer as he saw her eyes begin to fill with moisture, and pulled her to him. He held her tight, a feeling of pure contentment flowing through every part of his being. He felt her shoulders shake as she cried into his shirt, and held her as though he would never let go.

They stood there, together, as the light faded. When he felt Sam shiver, he pulled away, and grinned at her.

"What?"

"Well, I think it's time to go in, nice as this is. You're getting cold, and you'll probably want to wash your face."

"Wash my face?"

"Yeah, you've got streaks of black here, and here." Jack traced the marks with his finger, and Sam shivered again, this time not from the cold.

"Uh, Jack. Your shirt." Jack looked at the shoulder, and there were traces of the marks from her face. He grinned, knowing that the shirt was a small sacrifice to pay for what had just happened between them.

"One less thing to wash later. C'mon, let's go inside."

He opened the door for Sam, and she locked it behind her. Once in the house, Sam ran upstairs to change, and clean up, while Jack rummaged around in her cupboards for the coffee. As he heard the shower stop, he poured two cups, and took a seat on the couch. She sat on the opposite end of the couch, and smiled at him when he handed her a cup of coffee.

"So."

"Warmer?"

"Yes. Cleaner too."

"Coffee alright?"

"It's prefect. Thanks Jack."

"You're welcome."

An uncomfortable silence surrounded the two, as Jack started fiddling with the remote in his hand, and Sam burried her nose in the cup. Sam was the one to break the silence as she put her now empty cup, on the coffee table.

"We're inside now, where it's warm, and light. Shall we continue what we started in the garage?" She waited for his reaction, hoping he wouldn't back out.

Jack spluttered into his coffee, his mind focused on the affectionate moment they had just shared, and not the conversation that had started it all.

"You ok?"

"Yeah. Sorry, went down the wrong pipe." Jack firmly placed his cup on the table, next to Sam's.

"We left off somewhere about getting it all out in the open."

"So we did. Look, Sam, I really don't want to have some kind of discussion that Daniel would be proud of. You know me, I'm not that kind of guy. I'll only embarrass both of us, and somehow screw up what I'm trying to say. I came over to talk to you, well, to ask you something."

"Ask away."

"How 'bout we forget what has happened, start fresh."

"Like put the past months behind us?"

"Yeah. But one thing, I'm sorry I didn't stay in touch. I should've and none of this wierdness would've happened."

"You can't blame yourself. I played a part too."

"Well, maybe, a small part." Jack grinned cheekily at her.

"I'm sorry to, sorry for all the hurt I caused you. I didn't think you cared anymore..."

"I do Sam, in some way, I always did."

Sam stopped looking at her hands, and turned her eyes to his face. He wore an expression which she had only seen glimpses of, many, many years ago. As soon as she saw the look in his eyes, she had the answer to what she had been asking herself. She moved out of his embrace, reluctantly.

"Jack, what I said to you in your office..."

"Ah, not another word. That was in the past, and if I remember correctly, we agreed to forget all that."

"But..." Jack placed a finger over her lips, to quiet her.

"I know."

"You do?" Sam wondered if he knew exactly what she was refering to.

"Now, I do." Jack placed each hand on one side of her neck, and for one fleeting moment, Sam thought he was going to kiss her.

"So where do we go from here?" He didn't move his hands, and his eyes never strayed from hers.

"Wherever you want to go."

"I don't want to go anywhere. I want us to go somewhere."

"Are you sure?" Jack wanted her to be absolute in her decision, as he didn't think he could ever turn back if they continued the way they were going.

"Yes. I'm positive."

Jack leaned in towards her, and they both jumped apart as his cell phone rang shrilly from his coat, which was slung over a chair in the kitchen. Jack cursed, and ran into the kitchen, as it was the SGC calling. Sam relaxed on the couch, her mind processing what had just happened, and what had been about to occur, between them. She was so lost in her thoughts, that she didn't hear Jack re enter the living room.

"Daniel." Jack practically fell onto the couch, and tossing his phone onto a nearby chair.

"He's back?"

"Yeah, something about getting back much earlier than he expected. Wanted to know if there what I was up to."

"Oh."

"Told him I was busy." Jack glanced sideways at Sam, who had moved back to the other end of the couch.

"Jack, I...I don't know, erm, well, it's just that..."

"Sam, don't worry, we'll take this at whatever pace is comfortable for both of us. That is what you were trying to say, right?" Sam let out a small laugh at his awkwardness as he looked at her hopefully.

"Yes. Thank you Jack."

"So, how 'bout we watch a movie. Got anything good?"

"Well, unless Cam took them all home with him, I'm sure we can find something."

Once a movie was settled upon, the two settled down to watch, Jack's arm around Sam's shoulders. After the movie ended, Jack left, promising to be early for the BBQ the following day. As Sam got ready for bed, she pulled the cast out of the closet, and traced his word with her finger. She glanced at Daniel's Ancient signiture, and suddenly the last word made sense.

'Not all that was lost, can never be found.  
Open your eyes, and look around.'

She had opened her eyes, and taken a good look around. Now what she saw, was Jack. Sam reflected on the past few hours, thinking that something amazing was about to begin. As she fell asleep, one lingering thought stayed in her mind. There was no one like him.

* * *

AN:Well folks, here's the end of Non Est Ei Similis. To all of you who reviewed so far, thank you for your ideas, encouragement, comments, and criticism. All are appreciated greatly. A giant gold star to Skiergal, who guessed the meaning of the title, 'There is no one like him.' I have decided to split this up into another story, following the new relationship between Sam and Jack, and to continue the story of the Goa'uld. If you would like me to continue, or if you have any comment about this story, there's a lovely little blue button just below that you can use to let me know (lol). The tentative title for the next part, is 'Si Vis Amari, Ama.' 


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